The Other Side of the Coin
by JayAye
Summary: Tsuna and the rest of the group are ready to return to the past. But a mistake with the time machine lands them in a parallel universe scarily similar to their own but overwhelmingly different. Thank God he can rely on his other self, Sawada Tsunayuki. But Tsuna has to find a way home before time runs out. Tsuki and her group are losing control. Can they really be trusted?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! I've been a member for a while but this is the first story I have posted. I always wanted to write for this anime because I love it so much. I know the first few chapters are short and the beginning is slow but stick with me, it'll pick up. Updates will be semi regularly. I have 5 more chapters written but I'm a slow typer and have other attention demanding things in my life. Please be honest with your comments. I love criticism but this is my first time sharing my work. Go easy. All I have left to say is enjoy the story!

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1\. A Warped Mirror Called Denial

Tsuna stared intently into the mirror in front of him. Vaguely, in the back of his mind, he wondered what exactly a mirror was doing in the forest. Or more accurately a funhouse mirror. He could easily recognize his own face, though it was looked slightly softer than he remembered, and wild, fluffy mane of hair was much, much longer than he remembered. His reflection was wearing his Nami Middle uniform, only it was definitely the girl's version. It must be a very high-tech mirror, to completely change him into a girl.

Tsuna was wavering between reaching out and touching the mirror and staying still. He wasn't mentally prepared to move just yet. He wasn't this reflection would move with him. Of course it would he corrected himself there was no way it could be anything else but a mirror. He couldn't see the glass or the frame of the mirror but that was because it was a very high-tech mirror. There was nothing to fear.

Tsuna resolutely ignored the voice in the back of his head stating it was _too real to be a mirror._

Then a baby wearing a suit and fedora landed hard on the reflection's head, smashing her face into the forest floor. The voice in the back of his head was incredibly smug.

 _See, it wasn't a mirror._


	2. Chapter 2

2\. The One to Blame

Tsuna would have liked to blame Irie for the whole mess with Byakuran. To blame him for not being straightforward with them, and especially for putting the girls and children in danger. But really, he had already forgiven Irie-san back in the Millefiore Base. Tsuna had never been good at holding grudges, and he truly had no reason to, since his plan had worked perfectly and Byakuran was now defeated. Tsuna couldn't help but be grateful to him.

Here, back in what was left of the Millefore Base, everyone was waiting in front of the round white device that held their future selves, waiting for Irie-san and Spanner to send them back to the past.

"Alright, everyone," Irie-san called out, "we're ready to send you back." Immediately there was an excited from all the middle schoolers, except for Hibari, who was as far as he could get to the crowd.

"Isn't that great Tenth?" Gokudera, to his right, almost shouted. Yamamoto, to his left, laughed in agreement.

"It'll be great being back home, right, Tsuna?"

"Tch, baseball idiot, I was talking to Tenth!" Gokudera's happy awe-struck look reverted back to his customary scowl when he turned away from Tsuna towards Yamamoto. The baseball player only laughed. "Maa, maa, we can both talk to him, right? He's my friend too."

"Irie-san!" Tsuna cut in before Gokudera could respond, in order to stop an escalation into a fight. Secretly, he was glad. It was already starting in feel like they were back home. "I- I just wanted to say…" Tsuna trailed off. Why couldn't he say it? He looked up into Irie's expectant eyes and felt himself clam up, under a suddenly swell of embarrassment. Then, thankfully, Irie's eyes lighten with understanding and smiled.

"Thank you, Tsunayoshi-kun." The redhead said, stating what Tsuna couldn't. Tsuna responded with a nod and a relieved smile.

Irie turned away and moved back toward the control panel, hit a few buttons, and rested a hand on a red-handled switch and addressed the group again.

"Thank you," Irie Shoichi repeated. He didn't notice Spanner looking over the portion of the control panel Irie had just worked on. "We couldn't have defeated Byakuran-san without all of your help. Goodbye, everyone." Irie finished a flip of the switch his hand was resting on.

Irie's sincere face was blocked out by the following bright blue light surrounding the group of middle schoolers. His excitement at finally going back home, back to his peaceful Namimori and happy kind mother, was quickly replaced with apprehension when he heard Spanner's slightly concerned voice.

"Um…Shoichi? I think you made a mistake."

Tsuna took back his earlier thought.

He blamed Irie Shoichi for _everything_.


	3. Chapter 3

3\. Start of a New Arc

"Ciaossu," the baby resting in the wild mane of hair, whose owner's face was still firmly planted in the dirt, greeted Tsuna. The quiet subtle voice in the back of his head helpfully (not helpfully) supplied that this baby was _scarily_ similar to Reborn. This baby was wearing the same suit, orange-striped fedora sporting the same lime green chameleon and the same curly sideburns. The only thing stopping him from believing it _was_ Reborn was the fact that this baby was wearing a wide skirt and had a very curious look on its – her face.

"And who," she asked, "Are you?" The Reborn look-alike lifted her hand and chameleon on top of her fedora immediately transformed into a familiar lime green gun, which she pointed at him. "Well?"

"Hiee!" Tsuna jumped from the obviously dangerous baby and her gun. There was no way that baby wasn't Reborn. "I- I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi…" he answered. If this baby was Reborn, it would be best to answer her questions. The gun toting baby stiffened minutely and stared harder at him.

"What?" His mirror image finally pulled herself out of the dirt to look him straight in the eye. Her big eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. The Reborn copy- who had been forced to jump off the girl's head and onto the ground- looked at him with obvious suspicion. Her gun remained firmly trained on him.

"You must be some illusion. What are you hoping to gain from this?" Her eyes shifted off Tsuna for an instant to the group behind him. They have been unusually quiet, maybe they were frozen with shock like he was.

Before he could protest the baby's accusation and then beg her to please, _please_ not shoot him or any of his friends, two voices called out briefly breaking the tension.

"Tenth!"

"Tsuki!"

Two girls ran out of the trees behind the look alikes. The taller was a tanned girl with golden eyes and short black hair cut close to her head. She was wearing a green sweatshirt with no sleeves and a pair of shorts that reached mid- thigh along with a pair of wedged sandals she seemed to have no trouble running in.

The other was slightly shorter. Her silver hair was longer than her friend's, just reaching her shoulders, her grey green eyes instantly locked on to the crouched girl- Tsuki- and she immediately changed course for her. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt with a black leather vest, long black pants and white tennis shoes. She was also wearing several rings and belts. When she knelt down to check over his clone- _Tsuki,_ his mind corrected- he had full view of her several gaudy black skull rings and the _red Vongola Storm Ring._

Tsuna's eyes darted to the taller tanned girl and focused on her hands. The sole piece of jewelry on her person was the _blue Vongola Rain Ring._

Tsuna couldn't take it anymore.

"What on Earth is going on?" Tsuna called (screamed) out.

His outburst brought back Tsuki's and the girls' attention to him. The girl- Reborn's gaze had never wavered off him.

"What the hell?" the silverette said. Her voice breathy, like she had had the air knocked out of her. She focused on Tsuna and he almost flinched under her scrutiny but then her gaze shifted to his right.

She was staring down Gokudera. Gokudera _who looks just like her_. The other said nothing but her easy going smile- just like Yamamoto's- fell open and her eyes widened.

"Hey!" The girl- Reborn called out commanding everyone's attention. "I asked you a question." The tiny hand on the gun tightened in warning.

"Hiee! Wait, wait, wait! We are NOT illusions!" He waved his hands frantically in front of him and fell backwards trying to avoid the shot the baby had not taken. Yet.

"Wait," a high squeaky voice interrupted. Reborn, his Reborn, jumped off his head-was he there the whole time?- onto the ground in front of his look- alike, his own gun drawn, yet not aimed at her. "We aren't illusions nor are we enemies."

Her eyes flickered to his gun. Reborn smirked in response, and waved it slightly in the air. "This? This is for if you're _our_ enemies."

It was a strange sight, seeing two babies facing off with one another. With real and deadly weapons to boot. With the two so close together it was easy to see how similar they were, they could have been twins. Tsuna almost stepped in to stop the standoff, family shouldn't fight. It was only his self-preservation instincts that stopped him. He knew enough not to tell Reborn, any Reborn, what to do.

"Tsuki," girl Reborn said finally.

"Tsuna," Reborn called out at the same time. Both paused to evaluate each other before continuing.

"What do you think?" the Reborns asked, never breaking their staring contest.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"You're the boss," girl- Reborn said, "What do you think of this?" Reborn looked slightly annoyed, he didn't enjoy the other beating him to the punch.

"Um…" Tsuki softly uttered. She made eye contact with Tsuna and started her own staring contest.

"I don't think they're bad," she declared, her voice stronger. She stepped forward, passing the two Reborns until she was directly in front of Tsuna. He scrambled onto his feet to meet her. That snapped the Gokuderas out of their stupors.

"Tenth, don't!"

"Hey, poser! Stay away from Tenth!"

Tsuna and Tsuki ignored them and their screaming match. They never broke eye contact.

"Yeah," Tsuna spoke up. "They're aren't our enemies. I don't know what's going on, but I know they aren't people to fear." His Hyper Intuition was telling him so. It was also telling him how to prove it.

Tsuna held out his hand, presenting his Vongola Sky Ring. Tsuki's eyes widened but she quickly mimicked the motion, presenting a matching ring. He grabbed her hand, holding on tight. She tightened her grip too.

They both summoned their flames at the same time.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I realized I neglected to put up a disclaimer. I don't own Hitman Reborn, only the story's alternative universe characters. I also love it when people review my work. I need the constructive criticism. Also I would like to apologize. I made a mistake with my summary, it will have been corrected by the time I've posted this chapter.

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1\. 4. Him or Her, Its All the Same

Bright orange flames erupted out of their rings in a raging blaze simultaneously. Tsuna could tell that they were _his_ flames. The girl- Tsuki- had his flames. The difference between the two was so small, an outside person couldn't be able to tell. Tsuna, however, was close enough sense it. He couldn't feel any ill intention from her. There was no way she could hide it, not with her flames running through his body or with his running through hers. They were strong, warm, and familiar; Tsuna wasn't sure how he knew, but they were his flames. This girl was _him._ His Hyper Intuition hummed in agreement.

 _She's me,_ he thought, _and I have no idea what that means._

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Tsuki had closed her eyes sometime after calling out her flames. She let Tsuna's course through her body; they were flowing smoothly and freely through her as if they belonged with her. _Which they sort of do_ , she thought to herself. _They're my flames._

She could tell the difference between the two. Tsuna's felt _heavier_ somehow. Was that the right word for it? But the difference between their flames were so small, so insignificant, that it almost nonexistent.

 _He's me._ Her Hyper Intuition buzzed in agreement. _I don't have any idea what that means._

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The orange flames slowly died down and receded back into their rings. It was a long moment of silence in which both Tsuna and Tsuki were reluctant to let go of each other hands. The two opened their eyes to identical wide brown eyes expressing the same thought: _I know you but I don't know why you're here._ Then Tsuki smiled, bright, sincere, and reassuring, and Tsuna couldn't help but to return it.

"It's okay," she told him. She turned around to face her group behind her. "They're okay."

Girl-Reborn nodded, accepting Tsuki's response without hesitation, the gun transforming back in a green chameleon, which settled back onto her fedora. Reborn's gun shifted also, once he saw the threat was gone. "Well? What do we do with them?" Girl- Reborn asked. Tsuki blinked, as if she wasn't expecting the question.

"Huh?" Her response caused Girl-Reborn to huff in annoyance, her Leon-gun pointed at her head in an instant. Reborn didn't lift a finger in defense, knowing his group was in no danger.

"You were so quick to defend them, you decide what to do with them, Dame-Tsuki."

"Hiiee" Her scream was somehow shriller than ever Tsuna's, and she even had the same nickname too. "Wait, wait, wait!" Tsuki screamed out in protest. "We can take them to my house! And talk about why they're here and what to do about them! Right? Reborn?"

"Hmm… alright." The small baby turned and walked off leading the way out of the forest. Tsuki breathed a sigh of relief, and moved to follow her but quickly turned around to face Tsuna.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Sawada Tsunayuki."


	5. Chapter 5

5\. An Explanation is in Order

"This is my house," Tsuna breathed out. He wasn't quite sure what he was expecting but he wasn't prepared to be standing in front of his own house. The walk here was exactly the same, they passed the shrine, through Namimori's business section- which wasn't very different except for a couple of stores he didn't recognize- and headed into the residential area. He could almost believe he was home. Then he would turn his head from taking the town and catch a glimpse of Tsuki leading the group and be reminded of their current situation. Any happy excited feeling would instantly be diminished. Once they got to the intersection where they would usually part ways to head home. But no one separated from the group. He couldn't help the resulting pang of sadness at the thought, they still weren't able to home yet.

Now, standing in front of his house, Tsuna momentarily forgot himself. He forgot his previous thoughts and feelings, and was overcome with excitement and relief. He was home! Everything was back to normal! He could see his mother again!

Reborn's tightening grip on his hair brought him back to himself and prevented him from rushing forward to the house.

"Tsuna," he said low so only he would hear, "don't forget where you are." The teenager agreed silently. They weren't home, Tsuna couldn't lose it now. Tsuna looked back to his group, they had been a bit quiet. They, especially the girls, seemed more than a bit worried or in the case of Ryohei, vaguely confused. _Of course, after all we've been through to get back to the past we're still not home._ Tsuna could only give them what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Oww!" Tsuki cried out, drawing everyone's attention. She was kneeling, almost completely bent over in pain, at the door, rubbing the bright red spot on her forehead where Girl- Reborn had kicked her. The baby was standing on the ground next to her, frowning.

"Dame-Tsuki, how could you forget your key?" the baby asked, disapproving.

"It's not my fault! You were rushing me out the house this morning, I could barely get dressed!" she protested.

"You're a future mafia boss. You should always be prepared no matter how time you have to get ready," the baby stated back.

"I don't want to be boss! Why do you always bring everything back to that?"

That seemed to be the end of Girl- Reborn's patience. In a spilt second her chameleon had transformed into a small green hammer and Girl-Reborn had pounced. Poor Tsuki only had enough time to let out a short shrill 'Hiiee!' before the hammer was brought down hard on her head. Tsuki hit the ground, knocked out cold.

"Pathetic," the baby murmured under her breath, eyes hidden by her fedora, "You need more training." Tsuna shivered. He knew that look. It came right before he was forced into a new hellish training program. A part of him pitied Tsuki, a bigger part of him was glad that smile wasn't directed at him.

Her two friends didn't seem too fazed by the scene in front of them, so this must be a common occurrence. The silverette picked the crumpled form of Tsuki off the ground and proceeded to fuss over her, making sure she wasn't too hurt, and helping her regain consciousness. The other taller girl laughed at her friends' antics, picked up the rock by the door and dug out the spare key imbedded in it.

Tsuna looked on in disbelief. _So this whole time you could have gotten in! There was no reason to attack her!_

Girl-Reborn turned away from Tsuki and her friends to look straight at Tsuna. "Yes, there was, she remembers things better with her body. She know to be prepared next time."

"You can read minds too?!" Tsuna screeched. Reborn gave his hair a quick yank in punishment. Girl-Reborn smirked.

"Everyone, you can come in now. Sorry for the wait." Tsuki was back on her feet, barely. She seemed a little worse for wear. Her silver-haired friend hovered near her, making sure she didn't tip over. The other to the left was smiling waving them in invitingly. Tsuna walked through the door and his group followed after him.

"Thank you, Tsuki." He said sincerely as he walked passed by. Her slightly gazed eyes blinked and focused on him, responding to her name.

"Oh! ...Of course, you're welcome," she returned.

He led them into the living room, the only room large enough to hold such a large group. He couldn't help looking around in the meantime. In some ways the house was exactly the same as his. The structure of the house and the furniture weren't any different. He knew he could walk through the house blindfolded. But on the other hand it was obvious this wasn't his home. There was a girl's hoodie on the hallway table. There were also different pictures. Where his childhood pictures were, there were now pictures of a cute baby girl. More so of her throughout childhood, some of them with an older brunette man who bore a strong resemblance to her. Tsuna pushed down the resulting pang of disappointment.

Tsuna settled himself at the end of the table in the living room. Reborn hopped of his head and took a stance on the table. Gokudera and Yamamoto seated themselves at his right and left as if there was nowhere else to sit but next to him. Everyone else found somewhere to sit near him. Kyoko and Haru sat behind him, with the sleeping forms of Lambo and Ipin on their laps. They had been so excited to find out they were going home, they had exhausted themselves. Tsuna wasn't looking forward to telling them they had to wait even longer to see Mama. Chrome sat (hid) behind them. Ryohei sat right next to his sister. He knew Tsuna trusted the other girl's group, but he didn't really understand what was going on, so he was staying close to the girls, just in case. Hibari chose the furthest corner he could find away from the group, Hibird was nested comfortably in his hair. He looked as if he had instantly fallen asleep but a keen eye could tell he was tense and alert.

Tsuki and her friends took the opposite end of the table facing Tsuna. Girl- Reborn mimicked her male counterpart and abandoned her comfortable seat on Tsuki's head to stand on the table.

"So… um." Tsuki started but trailed off. Tsuna couldn't blame her. He had no idea where to start either.

"Dame-Tsuki, a mafia boss always knows what to say." Girl-Reborn interjected.

"Um…" she tried again, a bit more fearfully, but it was clear by the way she kept opening her mouth but no sound would come out, she had nothing else. Tsuna wanted to help her. He wouldn't wish a punishment from Reborn on anyone. After Girl-Reborn gave an annoyed sigh- a bad sign- Tsuki managed to get out a single question.

"H-how did you all get here?"

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Telling Tsuki's group about Byakuran and their time in the future took longer than Tsuna though it would. He added enough detail so they would understand the story but not enough to keep them up all night. Tsuki and friends were surprisingly quiet. They didn't ask questions or call them liars- aside from a brief accusatory outburst from the silverette that was quickly hushed by Tsuki. In fact they seemed to have an air of those who could relate. Which would be impossible unless they went through it themselves.

Oh boy.

"Then I suppose Irie-san made some sort of mistake because the next thing I know I'm crushing into you in the forest," Tsuna finished. It was silent. Girl-Reborn hummed quietly.

"Do you have an idea what's going on Reborn?" Tsuki asked the baby.

"I'll have to look into a few things to be absolutely sure, but I'm sure they're from an alternative universe."

"What?" Tuna blunted out. "But I thought traveling to other parallel worlds were impossible. When Byarukan tried that he…" Tsuna couldn't finish, the thought was too terrible. Did coming here mean their world was destroyed? They could never go home?

"Tsuna," Reborn cut into Tsuna's quickly escalating panic attack, "think. Do you remember Ghost, how he turned out? We aren't like that, our situation is different."

"I'm not sure why you all are different," Girl-Reborn cut in, "I'll have to investigate." She turned to Reborn. "Would you like to come with?"

"Eh?" Tsuna and Tsuki both exclaimed.

"Sure." Reborn agreed easily.

"EHHH?!" The two exclaimed louder.

"Shut up!" the Reborns exclaimed back in perfect sync. Both hopped off the table and headed for the door.

"You're leaving _now?_ " Tsuki asked shocked. She wasn't expecting her tutor to just abandon her! The babies turned enough to look at their students out of the corners of their eyes.

"I suggest you call over the others and explain the situation, it won't do to leave them in the dark." Girl-Reborn had completely ignored Tsuki's earlier question.

"Everyone? Even the boys?"

"They're your Family. Of course they're included in _everyone._ "

"O-okay." Tsuki nodded to show she understood. Girl-Reborn smirked in approval.

Then she suddenly had her gun in her hand pointed straight at her student. "You're in charge, Dame-Tsuki. Always remember your actions reflect directly on me." The warning (threat) was clear. _Make me look bad and you'll regret it._

"That's right, Tsuna. You're responsible for your Family. Show Tsuki what you can do." The words were spoken cheerfully but the true meaning was obvious: _don't let Tsuki show you up._

A dark shiver went down the back of both the teens but they kept back the customary _'Hieee!'_ They didn't want to be shot. They only nodded in agreement.

"Good, ciaossu."

"Take care."

Both babies were out the door without another word.


	6. Chapter 6

I neglected to mention that fic is unbeta'd though I'm sure you already figured that out. I've also been meaning to thank my two reviewers. Your positive comments mean so much to me I can't even tell you. Sorry for the wait by the way. I've been preparing for a three part competition and I'm still only finished with day one. Whatever though, as long I stick with writing, right? I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Ps. I do want ask though, I tend to shift between pov, it's not too confusing right?

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6\. Of Introductions and New Friendships

After the departure of the two babies, there was a brief moment of awkward silence where no one was sure what to do or what to say. It was clear no one was in any danger but it would be impossible to comfortable in such a confusing situation or in the presence of a practical strangers.

"I should take Reborn's advice and call the others," Tsuki spoke up. Tsuna across from her blinked in surprise.

 _Did you really have any choice?_ If Girl-Reborn was anything like his Reborn- and from what he had seen so far, the two were identical- then it really wasn't a suggestion.

"I'll do it for you, Tenth!" the silver haired girl piped up, eager to help her boss. She was off the floor in an instant.

"Gokudera! That's okay, I want to-!" she tried to get her friend to back off, she wasn't in any hurry to call the others, she had only wanted to escape the awkward tension in the room. It was no use, the silverette was already on her way out the door to the hallway phone.

"It's really no problem Tenth!"

"Ah…" Tsuki turned back to the group whose full attention was locked on her. There really wasn't any running away from this especially since Reborn had left her in charge. Stupid Reborn. Her tutor was too cruel sometimes, how could she just leave her by herself. It was seriously tense in here, she could feel all around her and it was making her blush in embarrassment. She turned to Tsuna for help, only to find the same nervous embarrassment reflected back at her. He saw her looking and he reacted by frantically waving away her silent pleas for help.

 _Don't look at me. I have no idea what to do in this situation, either!_

She couldn't help sighing inwardly, she really was Dame in any universe.

Thankfully, Yamamoto-sweet Yamamoto- was able to read the situation and stepped in. "Ha ha, you shouldn't be so nervous Tsuki." she said from her spot on the floor to Tsuki's left. She stood up next to her shorter friend, her easy- going smile on her face. It might have been the taller girl's rain attribute or the fact she took some of the unrelenting attention off Tsuki, but it made her visibly relax.

"You're all us from a different universe or something right? So that means you're all already our friends!"

Tsuki didn't know what surprised her more: the fact Yamamoto understood what was going on without anyone explaining it to her at least once or that she was able to simplify a serious situation so much. Tsuki thought back to the moment between her and Tsuna in the forest, when they had exchanged flames. He had felt so warm and familiar, not one ounce of hostile intent in his body. She had instantly trusted and accepted him as easily as if he was an old friend. _'He's me'_ she repeated mentally to herself, the phase ringing no less true than it did in the forest. Maybe Yamamoto had a point.

"Yeah, friends." She agreed. She forgot her previous anxiety and smiled back. Yamamoto smile wider and laughed.

"We should introduce ourselves to each other, since friends should know each other names and you guys might be here for a while," she suggested.

"Hi, everyone! I'm Yamamoto Tohru. I'm 15, love baseball, and go to Nami Middle." _Are you a new student telling the class about yourself?_ Tsuki couldn't help but think, sweat dropping. Before she was able to comment a boy to the left to Tsuna laughed out loud. "Hey, I'm a baseball fan, too!" The boy and her friend had the same laugh, one that seemed to come from their core, his was a bit deeper.

Yamamoto's attention focused on him, but her smile never wavered, in fact it seemed to get wider. She moved past Tsuki, stepped around the table and kneeled in front of him. On anyone else it would have been a clumsy endeavor with some scrabbling and almost tripping, on Yamamoto- especially in her favorite pair of shorts that showed off her long legs- it made her look like a gazelle.

"That's great! We look alike, are you me? What's your name?"

"Yamamoto Takeshi."

"So you're Yamamoto like me, that make things confusing, I think. You all can call me Tohru then." She leaned closer and rested her entire body against him. He didn't seem to mind considering how he wrapped an arm around her and laughed.

"We should play together sometime," Yamamoto Takeshi suggested.

"Yeah! That'll be fun," Yamamoto Tohru agreed.

The two got along like they had been friends, or siblings, all their lives.

"Tenth, I called them." Tsuki's Gokudera walked back into the room to give her report. "The muscle head will be here soon, she was on her way here after her run anyway. Lambi is with Tenth's dad, they'll be back sooner or later. That damned Hibari didn't even pick up. The mist boy says he can come tomorrow and the boys will be here later on."

Tsuki nodded, "Thank you, Gokudera."

Gokudera beamed as if Tsuki had offered her a million yen. "Of course Tenthh, whatever I can do to help," she said sincerely. Tsuki blushed from her eagarness.

"Ah, then… can you introduce yourself to the group?"

"Oh… I'm Gokudera Haya." The silverette's introduction lacked the enthusiasm Yamamoto's had. Once she stopped talking to Tsuki directly she lost all interest in the conversation.

"Aw, Gokudera, that's no fun, you have to tell us about yourself. We want to get to know you!" Yamamoto Tohru whined from her male counterpart's arms.

"Baseball idiot, you already know me!"

"They don't!"

Gokudera clinked her tongue in annoyance. " _Fine._ I'm Gokudera Haya. I'm also an explosive expert and the Right Hand of the Tenth. If any of you mess with her or try anything funny, I'll blow your asses sky-high." The girl ended her introduction (death threat) by retaking her seat next to Tsuki.

"Okay then, I'm Sawada Tsunayuki, call me Tsuki. I'm 15 and also go to Nami Middle. I promise I'll take care of you all and you can all stay here until you're able to find a way home. You have nothing to worry about." Tsuki finished with a respectful bow.

"Thank you, Tsuki-chan. Please take care of us." the orange-hair girl said.

"Hahi! The Tsuna of this world is so cute!" the dark brunette cut in. "Thanks so much!"

"Y-you're welcome. Who are...?" she didn't finish, not wanting to seem rude.

"I'm Sasagawa Kyoko."

"Miura Haru."

Tsuki's face lit up with recognition. "Then you must be Kyohei-kun and Haki! Ah, you're so cute as girls!" Tsuki stopped talking abruptly and blushed bright red. She hadn't meant to say that. Thankfully the two only accepted her compliment and giggled.

The dark haired girl with the pineapple hair cut and the skull eyepatch sitting behind them spoke up. "I'm Dokuro Chrome," she said softly. Tsuki left it at that. Her Chrome liked staying quiet and was shy around new people. There was nothing else to be gotten out of her right now.

Kyoko poked the bigger muscular boy sitting next to her. "Onii-san introduce yourself," she said.

"Sorry. I extremely forgot! I'm Sasawaga Ryohei! I'm an extreme boxer. I don't extremely understand what's going on but I know I'm in your care! Nice to meet you." Tsuki and Gokudera cringed away from the boxer's volume but the boss still managed to smile. Gokudera Haya however growled in warning.

"There was no way you're anyone _but_ that muscle head. You talk just as loud as her!"

Tsuki laughed nervously. "You must be Onee-san's alternative version, is what she means," Tsuki cut in, covering for Gokudera's rude behavior.

"You'll love Sempai," Tohru said, facing Ryohei, "she just as extreme as you."

"Oh, then she must be an extreme opponent. I extremely can't wait to meet her!"

"Stupid muscle heads," the silver head boy interrupted, "Idiots."

"And you are…?" She could guess who he was but still needed an introduction. His given name could be completely different than Haya's.

The boy turned his annoyed expression on her and she flinched. He really looked scary. He seemed to think better than yelling at her though. That was good she didn't want to be yelled at nor did she want to see a fight between two Gokuderas.

"I'm Gokudera Hayato, the Tenth's Right Hand Man."

Tsuki nodded and scanned the room for anyone she had missed. She noticed to babies sleeping in the laps of Kyoko and Haru. She was about to ask their names but happened to glance at the back corner and stiffened.

That lone wolf in the corner couldn't be anyone but a male Hibari. Rather than be surprised that he was still there considering how much how much he hated crowds (obvious from his chosen seat) she was worried about the dander they were in. Their group has been a little rowdy since they got here; death had to be near.

"Um… H-Hibari-san?" his closed eyes focusing on her and so did all his annoyed hostile energy. She wanted fought the urge to scream and beg not to be bitten to death.

"I know where you can find a strong fighter," she said.

"Where?" He was already standing. Here was the tricky part.

"I'll tell you on three conditions." Hibari's eyes narrowed and Tsuki bit back another scream. She continued.

One, tell me your name. Two, you have to explain the situation to her before you fight. And three, just remember you can come back here if you need anything. You don't have to, just remember, okay?"

Hibari's intense gaze stayed on her for a few moments and Tsuki couldn't breathe. Then he walked towards her until he was right in front, and the poor girl was having a panic attack.

"Kyoya." The panic attack stopped so abruptly it left her dizzy. "Wha?"

He seemed annoyed to have to repeat himself. "Hibari Kyoya."

She realized the implication of the older boy giving her his name and nodded. "Hibari Kuki, your other self can be found on the roof of the school." Hibari was gone as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She could breathe again.

"The kids' names?" she asked the girls.

"Lambo and I-pin," Haru answered.

She nodded. She's been nodding a lot. At least that was all of them.


	7. Chapter 7 Names are Important

Sorry, for the wait everyone. I was buried in work but the good news is I'm moving on in the Aca-deca competition. I'm going to state! But still I couldn't wait to get back to my story. Remember I love reviews! Let's get on with the story.

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7\. Names are Important

Tsuna couldn't help being proud of Tsuki, she somehow managed to hear everyone's introductions, and managed to also avoid what was sure to be a life or death crisis with Hibari. Obviously, she was his better half. He wondered if he would ever that good at dealing with Hibari.

"Um," Tsuki started, interrupting Tsuna's thoughts, "I have a few cakes if you all are hungry. We can snack on that while we wait for dinner." The offer instantly grabbed the attention of Haru and Kyoko.

"Hahi, Haru loves cake!"

"Me too, thank you, Tsuki-chan!"

Tsuki smiled and nodded. "Of course! I have to take care of my new friends!" she laughed.

"Gokudera, help me bring it out." The silver-haired girl who looked as if she was sulking from Tsuki's earlier scorning, brightened when Tsuki addressed her.

"Of course, Tenth!" the two girls exited to the kitchen, leaving the rest of the group to fend for themselves for a brief while. The focus shifted to Yamamoto Tohru, who had made herself comfortable in her male counterpart's arms.

"So you love baseball too, Tohru-chan?" Kyoko asked. Everyone seemed to shift a little closer the two Yamamotos. Neither seemed to mind the extra attention.

"Yep! I love baseball, I have since I was little."

"That's means that in any universe Yamamoto loves baseball. Some things never change to the extreme!" Ryohei said.

"Ah, Tohru, you and Yamamoto look just alike! You could be twins. Yamamoto-kun, you're so cute as a girl." Haru added. The two Rains only laughed at the comment.

"So are Gokudera-kun and Tsuna-kun," said Kyoko, addressing the brunette, "Tsuki-chan and Haya-chan are great." Tsuna couldn't help but sweatdrop at the comment. _But what do you think about me?_ Was Kyoko more interested in his other self than she was in him?

Tohru laughed at the deflated look on his face, then blinked as if she remembered something. "I meant to say I was envious of you all. You got to fight a bad guy with such a cool name. Our bad guy's name was kinda embarrassing."

"Hahi? What was your bad guy's name?" Haru asked for the group.

"Her name was Bunny! Can you believe it?" Tohru laughed after revealing such a surprising piece of information but no one laughed with her.

"What?" Tsuna asked, not believing his ears.

"Bunny?" Kyoko repeated, as if it would be more believable if she said it herself.

"Extremely confusing!"

"Let me get this straight," Gokudera"s voice cut through the chatter. " _Your_ psychotic mega-egotistical whackjob bent on the destruction of this world and all other parallel worlds who tried to kill you and everyone you care about was named _Bunny?_ "

Tohru only smiled at the silverette's rant. "Crazy, right?"

"That's…" he faltered in search of the right word, _"…insulting_." He spit out the last word as if the thought of Byakuran's alternate version name left a bad taste in his mouth. He was unable of Tsuki and his own other self, returning to the room and catching the tail end of his rant. Gokudera Haya snorted in response to his comment. She neglected to even look his way as she set down the two pink boxes of what he assumed was the cake.

"Insulting is right." She moved out of the way so Tsuki could set down her boxes. "It's embarrassing how much damage that bitch caused with that ridiculous of a name."

"Yeah, it was way weird," Tsuki added. "Especially considering how terrifying she was."

Tsuna tried to imagine Byakuran named Bunny. He tried to imagine him as a woman, even but that only left him with really weird, unsettling images, so he quickly gave up that line of thought.

"Can we please talk about something else? We just got back and frankly I want to forget Bunny ever happened."

"Sorry Tenth. See what you did, baseball idiot?"

"Sorry Tsuki." She genuinely looked remorse, her forever smile briefly gone. Her bowed head and hooded eyes made her look like a guilty puppy.

"Thank you." Tsuki busied herself with opening and laying out the cakes. They were beautiful, Tsuna had to admit. There was four different kinds, there was a chocolate one covered with cookie crumbs. Another was vanilla frosted one decorated with frosted swirls and strawberries. The third was wrapped in simpleblue fondant and topped with an edible golden ribbon. The last was very… colorful. It was one huge swirl coming from the center and featured every color of the rainbow. They were all pre-sliced. She also set down plastic plates and forks along with a large stack of napkins.

"There's plenty," Tsuki said. "Take as much as you want, there's more where this came from." No one hesitated to dig in after Tsuki gave her permission. Lambo and I-pin must have sensed the sweet treat nearby because they were up and digging in along with everyone else at a moment notice.

"Lambo-san wants cake!" The small cow child had jumped up on table and started stuffing his face. He didn't bother grabbing a plate or a fork to help minimize the mess he was making. "All the cake is Lambo's!"

"Lambo bad! Not yours! Cake is for everyone." I-pin scolded. She chased her friend around the table, their antics adding to the already loud chatter of the room. Tsuna couldn't help but sigh inwardly at his friends. They seemed to already be comfortable in Tsuki's house. Nothing seemed to bring people together like cake. It was… a strange thought. It didn't stop him from sending Gokudera to get him a slice of chocolate cake, though.

"I'm glad, the cake seems to have gotten rid of the tension. It was getting seriously awkward in here." Tsuna turned to see Tsuki standing in Gokudera's spot to his right. He noticed she hadn't gotten herself a slice of cake.

"You don't want any?" he asked. She shook her head.

"We had just got back from the future yesterday, so I got this cake so we could all celebrate today. Last night though I celebrated a little by myself. I'm a little sick of cake," she confessed. She neglected to mention that she had _celebrated_ with a full cake to herself and then promptly got a stomachache. Or that Reborn had caught her and promised to help her burn off the calories (because a mafia boss couldn't be chubby) with a new 'Extra Ultra Special Training Session' she had come up with. In fact, that what she was doing when she had crashed into Tsuna.

At least she had gotten out of that hell.

She was never touching cake again.

"Should we slow down? It was for your friends," Tsuna asked. Tsuki waved away his concerns.

"Oh, I've got lots more. My friends really like cake." She sat down and smoothed down her skirt.

"Tsuna, don't worry, you all can stay here until you find a way home. I know how stressful it was to be away from home and how happy we all were to get back. I know this isn't your home but you can think of this as your home. You're all welcome here. We can find the room." Tsuna looked at her face. She was blushing up a storm but she was completely sincere. Tsuna smile at her offer, any worry at the back of his mind disappearing.

"Thank you, Tsuki." She smiled back.

Gokudera chose that moment to come back with cake for himself and Tsuna. After a brief (visible) struggle with himself he handed the cake to Tsuna but ask for his seat.

"Gokudera-kun, Tsuki says we can stay here for the time being. Isn't that great of her?" _So we should be nice to her,_ he mentally added.

"Yes, that's very nice of…" he trailed off, mentally searching for a respectful enough title for Tenth's other self. Tenth would be too confusing, and Tsunayuki would be way too familiar. "Decima."

"What?" the girl asked.

"Decima," he clarified, "Tenth in Italian." He handed Tsuna his slice of cake and turned away.

"Wait! I'll give back your seat."

"No, it's really fine, Decima. I've been wanting to talk to my other self anyway." He waved away her concerns and went to talk to Gokudera Haya who was alone in a corner. She visibly tensed when she saw him coming.

"Hey," he greeted her. She narrowed his eyes at his less than polite greeting.

"Hello," she said back. By the tone of her voice, she ready didn't mean it. She seemed to have rather to have been anywhere else doing anything else but talking to him. Her whole being was tensed and closed off; it looked as if she was trying to merge with the wall in a futile attempt to put more distance between them. He didn't know what he had done to put her off, did he smell bad?

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Damn, that came out wrong. He wasn't good talking to anyone who wasn't Tenth.

Her eyes narrowed to make an expression of absolute fury and contempt.

"Asshole! _You're_ what's wrong with me! Why are you here?" her voice was definitely louder than a volume socially acceptable for the indoors and drew the attention of the other people in the room. Tsuki took one look at dynamite already in her friend's hands and was scrambling up to avert the coming crisis. Tsuna followed after her.

"I didn't come to this universe, I'm stuck here!" he retorted. Hadn't she been listening?

"Not in this _universe_! Why are you talking _to me?_ "

Hell, what had he done to her?

"Gokudera!" Tsuki pushed passed the accumulated crowd to stand between the two silverettes and grabbed her friend's arm to prevent her throwing or, god forbid, actually them. "No bombs in the house! You promised!" _Don't blow up my house!_

"Ha ha, what did you do to her Gokudera? She looks really upset." Yamamoto and Tsuna were at his side pulling Gokudera some distance away from his counterpart and watched Tsuki and now Tohru try to calm Gokudera Haya down. Tohru, more so just drawing the silvered-haired girl's ire onto herself. It looked to be working, the girl had momentarily forgotten about him. She had put away her dynamite to argue one-sidedly with the other girl. She also looked less murderous and was leaning toward generally annoyance. Maybe it was the Rain's tranquility factor.

"Gokudera, what happened?" Tsuki asked worried, but no where as upset as someone who was just moments away from being blown up. The question finally landed Haya's attention on her boss and her annoyed expression turned into one of genuine remorse.

"I'm sorry Tenth. I didn't mean to put you in danger. It's his face, it's so annoying that it was a reflex to try to blow it up." The priceless look of disbelief on Tsuki's face mirrored everyone else's. _How do you not like his face, it looks exactly like yours!_

The silver-haired girl went over her words and at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Not… not like that! That's not what I meant!" she was pulled away by Tsuki through the living room's glass balcony door to the yard for privacy. There was a beat of silence.

"Octopus-head, you extremely shouldn't be mean to girls."

"Yeah, Gokudera-kun, Tsuki-chan is letting us stay here until we get home, don't pick fights with her friends," Kyoko scolded.

"I _didn't_!" Gokudera protested, "I just said hello and she completely went over the deep end! She's crazy!"

"But she's you. Does that mean you're crazy?" Yamamoto asked laughing. Before he had the chance to give a scalding retort, Tsuna stepped in.

"Are you sure, she seemed to be really upset." One look at Tsuna's face had him worried. Did he ruin relations between their two groups? He looked to Tohru, who was standing with Yamamoto. Her bright, ever present grin was gone, but she did give him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I know it wasn't you. Gokudera- our Gokudera- has always been that way with anyone who isn't Tsuki. Though she's never reacted that badly to anyone before…"

"Will she be okay?" Tsuna asked.

"Yeah, Gokudera's a lot tougher than that. Besides Tsuki's talking with her. She'll get her to calm down." Her smile was stronger as she said this. She had complete confidence in her friends. Tsuna had no choice but to take her word for it.

"Tsu-chan!" a man's voice called out from the front of the house. The footfalls of several people could be heard coming towards to the living room. The first through the door was a grown man. He was dressed casually, just a plain light green shirt, jeans and sandals. His light brown hair was cut short just passed his ear and his bangs just brushing his brown eyes. He was followed by a tall lean pink-haired man. His hair reached his upper back. He had on black leather pants that looked very tight on him paired with a red buttoned shirt. He carried a laughing baby in a cow print onsie and whose large afro-like hair was pulled into two ponytails which made room for the two horns on her head. Her large green eyes blinked at the large crowd already in the house but quickly dismissed them in favor of the cake on the table.

"Ha, all the cake is Lambi's!"

"No, cake is for everyone," the other child the pink-haired man was carrying said. He was mostly bald aside for one braid at the top of his head. He was wearing a blue chinese shirt and white pants, along with black flats. He chased after the cow girl and tried to prevent her from diving headlong into the nearest cake.

"Sawada!" A loud yell from the front quickly followed by heavy stomping revealed a teenaged girl with white hair. Tsuki and Gokudera Haya must have been able to hear her shout from outside the house because they both reappeared through the glass door. She smiled at the new group.

"Hello, everyone. Hi, Daddy." Tsuna's eyes widened. _Daddy?_ If that was her dad, did that mean…? He looked closer at the man's face and he could definitely see aspects of Sawada Nana in him, his face and his happy disposition. That also meant the pink-haired man was Bianchi's other self, the children I-pin and Lambo, and the girl was Nii-san.

"Are these the people Reborn-chan said would be staying with us?" the man didn't seem to be concerned that he was housing a whole group of teenage boys (and girls) who he had never met.

"Yeah, Daddy, is that okay?"

"Of course, of course! The more the merrier. Just keep the doors open!"

"Dad! It's not like that!" her father only laughed.

"Hello everyone, I'm Sawada Nano. Reborn-san says you need a place to stay and your all welcome here. I'm be making dinner but if you need anything just say so." He left after that.

"I'm Blanco," the pink-haired man said, "The kids are Ping and Lambi." He wore an easy smile until he laid his eyes on his sister's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," was her curt reply, avoiding his face. He raised an eyebrow questioningly at Tsuki.

 _Later,_ she mouthed.

"I'm Sasawaga Ryoko, nice to meet you. Sawada, what's the emergency? Octopus-head explained but I extremely don't get it at all."

"I extremely don't understand either. Explain it to me too." Ryohei stood next to his counterpart. She looked at him in surprise then look at Tsuki for clarification.

"Stupid Tsuna! Where's Mama?" Lambo and I-pin stood expectantly in front of him as if he was hiding. He sighed, he had forgotten about the kids. He looked at Tsuki, who nodded to the yard.

"Come on, let's talk outside."


	8. Chapter 8

8\. Sleeping Arrangements

AN: I would like to thank Expletive Deleted for his kind review. In response to your comment I wanted there to be differences between Tsuna's group and Tsuki's group because boys and girls can have completely experiences, and their interactions were based on how I thought they would react to each other based on their personalities. For example, Yamamoto has an easy-going personality that can get along with anyone, in contrast Gokudera tends to clash with basically everyone, especially someone just like him. Can you guess who will have good relationships with each other? Also there's a distinct reason why Gokudera Haya doesn't like her male counterpart, but it's a secret. She did give a hint, though.

Also, if anyone has noticed I only will use the whole name or a description to address someone from Tsuki's group. That's because I wanted to avoid confusion but also because the ones whose full names are used haven't given permission to use their first names. Since the story is told from the point of view of different characters, I thought this would make the most sense. Tohru and Tsuki have already given consent. Lambi won't need to give consent because people tend not to ask children to use their names.

Those are just a few things I wanted to clear up if anyone was wondering. This is getting really long, so on with the story!

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Hibari Kyoka left Tsuki's home as soon as possible. He was starting to feel smothered, stuck in a room with all those people, but he was curious as to why he wasn't back in Namimori- his Namimori- so he had to follow the group for answers.

When he had first arrived he hadn't realized anything wrong, and he immediately started to make his way to the school. The baby was the only one to notice him leaving but only gave him a smirk and turned back around. Then he heard a squeak and a soft thud but he truly thought nothing of it. The small animal was clumsy. What made him pause was the complete lack of immediate fussing and fawning from the silvered-hair herbivore.

When he turned back it was to a stare-off between Tsuna… and himself. No, upon closer inspection, he could the doppelganger was a girl version of him. The sight of her set him on edge. Something was wrong. He had his tonfas out in an instant in the event this turned into a battle. Then a fedora-wearing baby girl and the girl's friends appeared. At least the situation wasn't dangerous, as Tsuna's proved with his little light show. It did nothing to ease the tension in his body. While they weren't in immediate danger, they were still stuck in the unknown.

Following such a large crowd made his skin crawl, but he did so anyway, on the slim chance the doppelgangers had any answers.

They were led through a very similar Namimori but he could by the subtle differences that this wasn't his home. There was different shops and people he didn't recognize and more importantly didn't recognize him. People didn't shy away quickly once they picked out his face in the group, in fact one girl made eye contact and smiled.

His death glare stopped that.

Once they got to the living room of the female's house, he claimed the furthest corner from the group and soon tuned out the loud crowd. He only really caught "parallel universe" but that was all he needed to know that he would be the first to hurt Shoichi Irie.

He had to admit it wasn't a complete waste. He got the name and location of a strong fighter out of the Tsuki girl: Hibari Kuki, his other self. She had to be strong. She was him, she wouldn't disappoint. He focused on cutting through the alternative Namimori without looking around like he did on the way the girl's house.

Nami Middle stood the same and the interior wasn't any different either except it was empty. It was no problem making it to the roof door and breaking the lock.

He knew that it wasn't his Nami Middle but being in the familiar open space of the middle school roof eased some of the tension in his muscles.

There was a girl already there, leaning against the fence as peaceful as you please. Her hands rested in her lap, and her legs were folded under her. Her short black hair was smoother than his own and shone under the sunlight. Her attire wasn't much different from his. She wore the same black uniform jacket and armband identifying her as the President of the Discipline Committee and underneath was a plain buttoned white shirt. Instead of his black pants she wore black skirt that was slightly longer that the standard uniform skirt and the uniform shoes. Even sitting down she looked small. She was smaller, shorter, and skinnier than him so much she looked like a doll.

He waited until she decided to acknowledge his presence. He knew she knew he was there but just hadn't turned to greet (punish) him. When her grey eyes rested on him, she visibly stiffened and sized him up in an effort to understand his appearance.

"Apparently, there was a mistake with our time machine so I along with the rest of that crowd are stuck in your universe." He kept it short and simple. That was all she ready needed to know about the situation and he fulfilled one of Tsuki's conditions. It was time to move on to important matters.

He drew his tonfas and lighted his ring. It was as much as an act of preparation as much as him proving his point. Like Tsuna's and Tsuki's flames were identical, he knew his other self could recognize her own flames.

She had the eyes of a cold-blooded predator and they were locked on him. She drew her weapons and lighted her ring. He couldn't help but give a small smirk. This would be a wonderful fight.

"Hibari Kuki," he said, "I will bite you to death."

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"So they're from an alternative universe, kinda like Ghost was?" Ryoko asked. Tsuki could have cried. It seemed Ryoko –and Ryohei- finally understood. After five hours of explaining. She had been given the task of clarifying their situation to the two boxers while Tsuna had gotten the kids. While Tsuna's explanation was over a lot sooner, it hadn't looked any easier. The two- Lambo and I-Pin? - had not taken the news that they would have to wait to see their Mama. He was still comforting them inside. At least when Kyohei-kun and Haku showed up they were taken aside by Haya and Tohru.

"Hmm…" the boxer girl looked deep in thought, "then what do we do? Do we have to extremely beat someone up?"

"No, we wait for Reborn to come back and for we just have to get along. Until we can get them home, they're staying with me." At the very least this wasn't a life-threating situation. Small blessings.

"We are? Thanks to the extreme Tsuki!" Ryohei shouted. She resisted the urge to rub at her ringing ears and smiled.

"Of course, like Yamamoto said, we're already friends." She looked at Ryoko to see how she was taking it. She was staring at Ryohei with a sort of awed expression. "Is he me?" she asked, pointing at the male boxer. Tsuki nodded.

She gave an excited shout. "Extremely nice to meet you!" she basically shouted, jumping up from her sitting position on the grass. "What's your name?"

"Sasagawa Ryohei. You?"

"Sasagawa Ryoko. Are you strong? We should have a match now!"

"UH! Onee-san?" Tsuki cut in. She did not want them to have a match here. "Can we all call you by your given name? So no one gets confused." Ryoko shrugged.

"I don't mind."

"And please, don't have a match _here_. Can it wait until later?" Tsuki asked.

"Extremely! We can go at it full strength in the morning!" Ryohei answered. His excitement managed to hype up Ryoko, who started shouting in agreement. Tsuki could only sigh tiredly and leave the two outside. Inviting them back inside would only result in extensive property damage. They would rejoin the group when they had gotten enough of being 'extreme' together.

Back inside the house they had run out of cake, but thankfully the atmosphere hadn't become tense again. Kyohei-kun and Haku had taken well to the new group, especially their other selves. Haku and Haru were talking animatedly about their different costumes. (Haku was jealous of Haru's Namahage costume. Haru really liked his dragon costume.) Kyoko-chan and Kyohei-kun were both discussing how much they adored/worried about their older siblings.

"Dinner is ready!" Sawada Nano poked his head through the door. "I'm sorry it took so long, it'll be right out. Tsuki, will you help me?" he left and the future mafia boss hurried after her father. She grabbed a plate (which was really more of a large platter) while her father took one in each hand. Blanco, who had helped cook, grabbed two also. It would explain the dubious looking black substances giving off dark auras in his hands. Tsuki knew she would avoid it like the plague. Which it probably was.

She helped arrange the table so there would be room enough for everyone, and when Blanco returned back to the kitchen with Nano for more food and plates, she hid the dishes that Blanco obviously made. With Reborn gone, she wouldn't be forced into being knowingly poisoned.

Once everyone was settled and given full plates, they dug into the delicious meal Nano made. If Blanco was upset or annoyed by the disappearance of the food he made, he didn't show it. He dug in with just as much eagerness as the rest while simultaneously trying to coax Gokudera Haya to eat more. She snapped at his nagging but did reluctantly take a few more bites once she saw Tsuki's worried frown.

After dinner, Tsuki asked Ryoko and Ryohei to move the table outside. Meanwhile she and Haya pulled out the futons for the boys. The girls were given the spare bedroom downstairs.

"Goodnight, boys. See you in the morning." She turned off the light and went to see Tohru off.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay the night? It's pretty late." She asked worried. Her friend smiled back at her. "I have to go, I promised I would be back for dinner, I'm really late as it is." She turned and waved, "See ya!" Tsuki waved back, "Bye."

"Are you going to leave too?" she asked Haya. The silver haired girl shook her head.

"If the tenth will have me, I would like to stay. I can't leave you alone with those-those- _them_ , especially with Reborn-san gone. Anything could happen!" Tsuki smiled and sighed quietly. Sometimes Haya's overprotectiveness was exhausting but she was glad she was staying. It wasn't like she didn't trust Tsuna and the others; she was just comforted by the familiar presence.

"Sure, Haya, whatever you say. Let's go to bed." The bomber immediately followed after her boss upstairs.

"By the way, since we ran out of futons, we'll be sharing my bed." Haya nodded without hesitation. "Of course, Tenth- HUH?"


	9. Chapter 9

9\. A Lucky Draw

AN: I passed 10 thousand words last chapter! Did anyone notice? No? Only me? Alright then… Still I have to say that this is the first story I've ever stuck with so long. Not to say that I don't love my other stories just as much. I just don't think the characters of this one will leave me alone. I just found out I just got accepted into my first choice college's writing program so I SO happy about that. Also I would like to apologize now, my updates will most likely slow down, a lot. I will have to work twice as hard to keep my grades up so my college doesn't reject. Sorry. But I have not forgotten this story. I won't stop. I have a lot of ideas for it. So bear with me.

One last thing I looove reviews. They fill me with a warm fuzzy feeling. Let me hear you! Please.

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The first thing Tsuna registered the next morning was pain.

He shot up off his futon with a sharp loud 'Hiee!' and fell onto Yamamoto, who was sleeping next to him, in an attempt to escape whatever the thing was that was attacking him. His sudden weight and screaming woke the baseball player up.

"Huh? Tsuna?"

"Dame Tsuna, a future mafia boss shouldn't be so ungraceful in the morning."

Tsuna stopped struggling to get a look at the baby hitman holding a comically large lime green hammer and who was standing on Gokudera's head. The silver-haired boy was awake and by the look on his face did not enjoy being used as a step stool, but stayed stock still, not even breathing, so not to disturb the hitman.

"Reborn! Why did you hit me?" the teenage asked. He slowly untangled himself from Yamamoto sat up in front of his tutor. He noticed that his loud scream had slowly woken up the others.

"You were sleeping so peacefully that it was annoying." the baby answered with no hesitation. Tsuna sweat dropped.

"Why is it always for that kind of reason?" he murmured to himself. Yamamoto laughed behind him.

"The two of you sure do play around a lot. Even early in the morning." He said, laughing. He seemed unnaturally happy after being so rudely awaked so early.

"Sawada, do you always wake up so early in the morning? You could join me during my morning runs."

"Reborn!" Tsuna yelled out very loudly, pointedly ignoring Ryohei's comment. He wanted to draw attention away from it before Reborn decided it was a very interesting idea. "What happened? Did you need something?" The baby replied with a brief hard silence.

"Dame- Tsuna. Have you forgotten where you are?" the baby watched quietly as Tsuna's face shifted through several emotions, including confusion, realization, and apprehension.

He had forgotten but now he remembered he wasn't at home. And as of yet they had no way of getting back.

"Were you able to find anything out? Will we be able to get home?" Reborn didn't answer right away.

"Not yet. Get dressed, we're going to talk to someone after breakfast."

"With who?" Tsuna couldn't help but ask. Who could they have to talk to? They weren't even in their own world!

"You'll see. Just get dressed and eat, then we'll go." The hitman finally jumped off Gokudera's head and walked out the room, leaving the boys alone.

"Ha ha, so we're going home?" Yamamoto asked.

"Maybe…" Tsuna answered. He wanted that to be the case, but in all of the _adventures_ he had been an unwilling participant of, not one had ended that easily or quickly. His Hyper Intuition hummed in agreement. They were going to be stuck here for a while.

The boys got dressed quickly. Since they hadn't brought any clothes with them to the future (and therefore had nothing to bring back) so they were forced to wear just their boxers to bed and change back into the same clothes from the last day. As Tsuna was pulling his shirt over his head, he couldn't help but hope they would be able to find some new clothes. Wearing the same outfit days on end did not sound appealing.

As Tsuna was walking to the kitchen to check on dinner, which smelled _delicious_ , he ran into a sleepy-eyed but fully dressed Tsuki and Gokudera Haya along with the girls. His other self was rubbing at a large red spot on her forehead. He had a good idea where it came from.

 _Really,_ he thought to himself, _the Reborns are too much alike._

Tsuki waved at him but blinked when she saw his outfit. She turned red and immediately bowed in front of him.

"I'm sorry!" she shouted out. "I wasn't thinking! I should have offered to wash your clothes or something. I hadn't realized that was all you had." She was red and looked closed to tears. Her bomber was trying to calm her down and pull her out of her bowing position. The scene reminded him of him and his Gokudera most usually but reverse. Was she really upset about something so small?

"Huh? What are you sorry about? Of course we would never expect something like that! There's nothing to upset about." He waved his waved his arms in his desperation to say something to reassure his other half. "It's really no problem at all."

"Yeah, Tsuki-chan, you've been perfect since we got here. We couldn't ask for more," Kyoko added.

"Tsuki-nee no cry!"

"Tsuki-chan has been the best hostess ever. If it wasn't for you, we would have been in trouble," Haru interjected. Chrome nodded silently behind them.

"Really?" she finally looked up at him hopefully. "You aren't mad?"

"Of course not." He stared into her eyes in an effort to convey his sincerity. She must have understood because she gave a sigh of relief. She was still a bit red though.

"That's good, I'm glad then." She smiled sheepishly. The silvered haired girl glared at him. He balked at the intensity, he hadn't done anything!

"Let's just eat, okay?" _and forget your mini freak-out,_ he added mentally.

"Okay," she nodded in agreement. Gokudera Haya lessened her glare and nodded stiffly.

"Are you all awake?" Sawada Nano stepped out of the kitchen. It appeared he was still in his pajamas. His mother was always fully dressed whenever he rolled out of bed in the morning. Maybe Nano was different? Or maybe it was proof how early it was that he caught the head of the house off guard.

"What are you all planning something so early, Tsu-chan? Reborn-chan woke me up so I could make breakfast, she said you would need your energy."

"Um… we're going to… uh… play a game? Yeah, a game! It might even take all day." Nano nodded at the obvious lie. "Hmm, alright. When you all get hungry, come back here to eat okay?"

"Yes, Daddy. We will." The smile she sent to Nano and the one that was sent back made Tsuna slightly jealous. He missed his mother, despite how childish it sounded even in his own mind.

"Could you please bring the table back in? Tsuki and I will bring out the food." He asked Tsuna. He was surprised at being addressed that all he could do was nod.

Tsuki followed her father into the kitchen and the bomber girl followed quickly after. That left him and the girls to return to the living room and ask Ryohei to help him bring the table in from the porch. They gathered around the table and waited until Tsuki came back with a scarily large platter of pancakes. Nano had sausages, the bomber girl had omelets. There was a loud clank when the plates were set down making Tsuna wonder how heavy the platters were.

The thought didn't stop him from enjoying the delicious food put in front of him. It really didn't take long for them to polish off their food. Especially with Reborn helping him clean his plate. A quick glance up showed that Tsuki had the same problem.

 _They were really alike, he and she, and the Reborns._

They had barely finished before the two hitmen were rushing them out the door. Girl- Reborn stopped long enough to tell Nano that should get more rest and breakfast was great as always. Then they were out the door.

It took longer than Tsuna cared to admit for him to realize they were going back to the forest. He couldn't really imagine what they were going to do back there but he knew Reborn wouldn't bring them there for no reason. So he walked quietly.

The forest clearing looked the same as it did yesterday. Except that Tohru, Ryoko, Hibari and new boy and girl were already there. And the glowing blue light hovering above the ground.

Both Tsuna and Tsuki screamed at the same time and in trying to scramble away from the blue light they both fell over their respective Gokuderas. Gokudera Haya was able to grab Tsuki before they both fell but Gokudera Hayato went down with his boss.

"Hello? Is everything alright?" the blue light asked.

Tsuki let out a louder scream at it question and hung on to the silver haired girl tighter. "It talked!"

"Huh? Wait, can you see us? Hold on for a moment." The light became silent but then it twisted and wiggled and made strange shapes until it finally stretched into what looked like a rectangular projection. They could see a face.

"Irie-san!" Tsuna called out once he recognized the man.

"Irie, you bastard!" Gokudera called out from underneath Tsuna. The boy's shout reminded him Tsuna still on top of him. He helped his friend up.

"I'm so glad you all are alright! We've been looking for you since we lost you. We're very sorry."

"We?" a voice from off-screen asked.

"I'm very sorry," he amended.

"Irie," Reborn spoke on top of Yamamoto's shoulder, "tell them what you told us."

"Ah, yes. So it is true that you all fell into a parallel universe. Really it should be impossible. Only Byakuran-san has that power, but you are."

"Because of _you_ ," Gokudera spat out.

"Let him speak," Reborn commanded.

"No, he's right. I am sorry everyone. A mistake like this could have ended very badly for all of us." The man wore a look of genuine remorse. There was a moment of silence.

"It's alright. It was a mistake we know. Can you please tell us what to do?"

"Thank you, Tsunayoshi," Irie nodded. "Once we were able to lock onto your flame signatures, we realized that you landed in the closest parallel world to ours. As if we had a coin and the face was our world. The tail would be the world you're in now. It's one of the factors that saved us."

"What does that mean?" Tsuna asked.

"Do you remember Ghost? Well, I can only assume that since Ghost was from a further away world than this one, there was a greater backlash than there is now. As if it was a rubber band." Irie paused to let the information sink in.

"So because we didn't travel very far, we're okay?" Yamamoto asked.

"Yes, but that's not all. There's also Rokudo Mukuro."

"Huh? Murkuro?!" Tsuna yelled out. What could Mukuro have to do with this?

"When you left, you created a hole connecting the two worlds. You would have to travel between. But for some reason it didn't close. I think it was because Tsunayoshi releashed a large amount of flame right after arriving for whatever reason."

"Ah, that was because…" he trailed off. That was when he and Tsuki exchanged flames.

"Well whatever reason it kept the hole open. That's good for us. We can use it to communicate with each other and find you a way back home."

"Where does Mukuro come into this?"

"Oh! Yes. Since Chrome –san and Rokudo have such a strong bond and because Mukuro stayed in this world, it created an anchor. Even with the hole still open it would have been bad if the Vongola had simply disappeared from this world. With Mukuro here you still have a connection to us."

Tsuna didn't want to admit to amount of good to Mukuro still being locked with the Vendice but it did save them. It didn't change his mind on someday getting him out of there.

"There's one more thing. The Vongola Rings."

"What do they-"

"The rings created a barrier that protected you all from any backlash," Irie finished. "If one thing was different than it would have been the end."

The mood was somber as that last piece of startling information sunk in. Their survival was based on dumb luck.

"Irie, when can you bring us back home?" Reborn asked.

"The tear is already very unstable. It took hours to just create a com link. It might take a couple of days."

"Alright then." He said, addressing the group. "Since we will be here a while we should make the most of it." The baby was wearing a very unsettling smirk. It was mirrored by his female counterpart.

Tsuna had a bad feeling.


	10. Chapter 10

1O. Pairing Up Is Hard To Do (Part 1)

"One more thing that I forgot to mention, before you get to having fun," Spanner interjected. He had finally appeared on the projection next to Irie. Tsuna wanted to correct him: whatever Reborn had planned would not be fun.

"There's one more reason why traveling between worlds had no backlash."

"Hmm?" Reborn looked up at the mechanic. "Like what?"

"In any given world there can only be one version of someone. It's one of the unwritten rules that every universe has. There is only _one_ Tsunayoshi, _one_ Gokudera, and sso on. The reason- one of the reasons why Ghost was a failure was because Byakuran chose an version of him that was most like him. In doing that he created something like a system error. There was no Byakuran in one universe and two in another. There's no way to be sure, this isn't the type of thing that can be tested, but I would say that when Ghost completely left his world, there was a system shutdown so violent it led to total destruction. In when he attempted to enter our universe, it attacked him because it could house another Byakuran. That's why he was simply a ghost when our Byakuran finally pulled him through."

"So how are we different then?" Tsuna asked in confusion. He and Tsuki seem to be very similar. It was actually kinda scary how alike they were.

"Weren't you listening Dame- Tsuna? You and Tsuki are different. She's a _girl._ Everyone here is the opposite gender."

"Right, it might seem small but gender is the biggest difference in humans in DNA coding alone. Just because of that one difference you don't immediately read as one and the same. You're able to trick the universe into believing you aren't the same person."

"It's obvious to us but not the universe as a whole, huh?" Reborn said to himself.

"Is that all?"

"Nothing right now. We'll work on getting you home but at the same time we'll be keeping the tear open. If you need anything you can just yell, we'll be able to hear you."

"Alright, Irie, Spanner. Keep working." Reborn nodded at the two.

"Of course."

"Goodbye, little Vongola."

The projection reverted back into a glowing blue ball.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I think we should go shopping!" Tsuna yelled out before either Reborn could suggest whatever they were planning. Unfortunately no one else had noticed the evil look on the baby's face so they were all staring at him in confusion. He blushed at the attention. "Um… I mean, we all only have one pair of clothes. We can't just wear that, right?" he laughed nervously.

"Oh, good thinking, Tenth. Of you would be the one to think ahead like that." Gokudera said.

"You're right, Gokudera. It was good thinking of him." Reborn agreed. He hopped off Yamamoto's shoulder to stand in front of the pair. "We should get everyone new clothes. In fact since it was his good idea, he should buy them."

"Huh?"

"Also," Girl Reborn added, "for the duration of your stay, you all have to pair up with and _stay_ with your other selves. Everywhere you go. To eat, to sleep, everywhere."

"What? Why?" Tsuki asked.

"You can expect us to stay them 24/7!" Gokudera Haya protested. She sent a quick glare at the other self then looked pleadingly to Girl Reborn. Both Reborns stared back at her so intently that she had to back down.

"Of course we do," they both answered in equally squeaky voices. "You can all hang out together or stay away from the group but you can't stray away from your partner. If you do, you'll both have to play the punishment game." Both Reborns wore identical smirks. Tsuna knew he would handcuff himself to Tsuki before he would be a part of any more of Reborn's games.

"But why?" Tsuki asked again.

"Because you might be the same people but you are different. You might be able to learn something from each other." Reborn said.

"And it's a part of a new tor- training regime we created for you guys. We can't waste any opportunity to make you guys stronger. I wouldn't be doing my job as your tutor." Girl Reborn chimed in.

 _Torture,_ Tsuna and Tsuki thought together, _she was going to say torture._

"Ha, kid, you're always on the job, right?" Yamamoto Tohru asked laughing.

"Of course," Girl Reborn said.

"So what now, kid?" Ryohei asked.

"Do whatever you want, just do it together."

"Then we can go have our extreme match! Let's go, Ryohei!" Ryoko shouted excited.

"Alright!" he responded, just as excited. They were off before either Tsuki or Tsuna could stop them.

"Then me and you can play baseball together." Tohru said to her male counterpart. She grabbed his hand before he could answer but he was laughing as he was pulled away.

"I'll stay with Tenth!" Gokudera Haya called out.

"No," both Reborns said back.

"Why not?!"

"That's too easy. You have to get closer to your other self. That's the point of this."

"But-"

"Gokudera, please try to get along. You shouldn't fight with yourself." Tsuki pleaded. The sad puppy dog her boss sent her way made her bite back any more protests.

"Of- of course, Tenth. No problem." She made a strange red pinched face as she this that Tsuki gave her a worried frown.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!" She gave a forced smile. To prove her point she grabbed Gokudera by the arm tighter than was really needed and pulled him away harshly.

"Stupid woman. Let go!" His counterpart paid no mind and kept pulling until they were out of sight.

"Wait, Hibari." Reborn said. "You two must stay together." Tsuna turned around to see Hibari as far away as he could get while still being able to hear. He looked a bit roughed up. The girl standing next to him was too. She looked just like Hibari, except she looked a bit like a doll considering she was so small and slim. As if she sensed his thoughts she sent a glare that sent a chill down Tsuna's back.

Warning received. He would stay far far away from this Hibari.

"Do you remember your promise?" he asked. The baby smiled and nodded.

"As long as you play by the rules."

"Same for you Kuki." Girl Reborn said.

Both of them narrowed their eyes at the babies and then set off. In the same direction. Tsuna supposed that meant they would play Reborn's game.

"Bossu." The new boy was standing in front of Tsuki. Tsuna hadn't seen him move. The boy had purple-black hair that fell to the side of his face and had a familiar pineapple style. He had a purple eye showing- the other was covered by an eyepatch adorned with a silver skull. He was wearing a Kokuyo uniform with a black belt and black shoes.

 _He must be-_

"Ah, Monochrome." Tsuki spoke.

 _What?_

"I have to take care of my other self?" he asked. His voice was soft and quiet, as if he rather not be talking at all. Though he did make good eye contact with her.

"Yeah…" she replied. "It would be easier if two stayed together. You don't want Reborn to get you. If it's better you can stay with me." The boy- Monochrome shook his head.

"No, it's okay." He turned away the others and stared at Chrome. She met his stare curiously.

"Would you like to go back to Kokuyo Land with me?" Chrome nodded after a moment to think about it. They left after that.

That left Tsuna and Tsuki, the girls, the kids and the Reborns.

"Kyoko and Haru, if you go back to Tsuki's house, your other versions are waiting for you. We've already talked to them. They'll take you anywhere and treat you to anything."

"Really?" Haru gasped excitedly. "Maybe they'll take us to a new cake shop."

"Maybe we can find a new one."

"Cake! Lambo wants cake!" the small cow child squirmed in excitement in Kyoko's arms.

"I-pin too!" she agreed from Haru's arms.

"Do you two want to come with us?"

"Yes!"

"Kyohei and Haku have Lambi and Ping. Is that alright?" Girl Reborn asked.

"Of course. We'll take care of them." The two girls left while discussing which cakes they were going to eat.

"Well, of course we'll stay with you two. We're your tutors after all." Paired with the evil smirks on their faces, the simple statement sounded foreboding.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You expect us to buy clothes for _everyone_?" Tsuna asked in disbelief.

"Of course," the baby answered.

"But why-?"

"Because a boss has to be able to meet all the needs of those under him. They have to trust you to take care of them. It should be a small thing to get them a few outfits to hold them over for a few days."

"Still, though what if they don't like what we pick?"

"Then we'll make you take it back and try again." Tsuna wanted to protest more. It wasn't that he didn't want to take care of his family, he didn't want to pick something … wrong. What if it wasn't something they liked or didn't fit? That was just the boys! He didn't know what girls liked. With his luck he would pick something they would hate. What would Kyoko think if he brought back something ugly?

He looked at Tsuki. She was a girl. She would stop him from picking something wrong, right.

"Tsuki is here to help you," Girl-Reborn said, "She'll help you picked some things out. And raise the money to buy the clothes and anything else you all might need."

"Wait, money?" Tsuki asked.

"Well, we assume don't have any."

Both teenagers reached into their pockets and pulled out whatever they had. Together they had an old key, lint, a button, and only a few yen. Nowhere near enough.

 _We're broke,_ they thought together. _What are we going to do?_

"We've thought of that," Reborn stated, reading their minds. "You're going to work in a café near here. My other self was nice enough to call in a favor."

"You know the owner of a café, Reborn?" Tsuki asked the baby girl. She wasn't sure why she was so surprised. Reborn knew the strangest people, though a café owner would be the most normal.

"Not in Namimori. I called the Vongola Ninth. She bought the café just for you." She smirked at the shocked expression on the girl's face. "Don't look like that. The previous owner got enough that she able to live her life-long dream of backpacking the world. She was quite happy with the offer."

 _Isn't that a bit of overkill? When did you even call Grandma?_ Again Tsuki shouldn't be so surprised. Reborn has gone to a lot greater lengths for the sake of training. And she supposed some good came of it. A nice woman was able to live her dream.

"You'll be working as a waitress and Tsuna will work in the kitchen." Girl- Reborn said.

"You two will work a six hour shift. After that you'll be paid and any tips you make you can keep. Work hard, you'll be paid based on performance." Reborn finished. It was a wonder to Tsuna how well the two seemed to had taken to each other. But that meant that any task they were given wouldn't be as easy as it sounded. And Reborn's tasks never sounded easy.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I don't think I like this," Tsuki said. She was blushing neon red and was wringing her hands in the skirt of her new uniform, the source of her embarrassment. It was a frilliest, puffiest maid dress she had ever seen. It had lace trim at the ends with shoulders that puffed out. It had a white apron. The entire dress was a hideous pink. Underneath the skirt- which was way too short to be decent- was a frilly under that made it sit a whole inch away from her legs. She was wearing white thigh high socks with a lacy trim and black mary-janes. It was as if someone took everything they thought girls liked and created this monstrosity.

"Of course you don't, it's ugly as all hell. If I threw up right now, it would be a prettier sight than this thing," Mami said. She was another worker at the café. She was wearing the same uniform as Tsuki. And looked just as happy as Tsuki to be wearing it. She was a pretty girl with short, curly blond hair and bright yellow eyes. She helped Tsuki into the thing where the new owner handed it to her. Not that it was complicated to get into, it was just she had frozen in shock when she had saw it. Now she was brushing her hair away from her face.

"I loved the last owner; she was an angel. She just had no fashion sense. I couldn't tell her, she was as nice as could be and paid well. At least that new owner promised new uniforms." Tsuki had noticed in the few minutes she had known her, that Mami was a talker. She had a tendency to talk or comment on anything. Tsuki didn't mind, at least she wasn't mean.

"But she got to live her dream, right? Traveling?" she asked back.

"Yeah…" Mami sighed. "I'm going to miss her though. She could hardly say goodbye. All of the sudden I get a phone call from her saying she had sold the place and was leaving." She briefly looked sad but quickly shook herself off. "Well it's a new day, right? Let's do our best together!" she smiled so brightly that Tsuki couldn't help but smile back, while also pushing down the guilt over Mami's new recent change in management, even if it wasn't her fault.

Mami grabbed her hands and pulled her out of the backroom into the front of the shop where the table were set up. It was empty even though the shop had already opened. Mami saw her looking around and smiled.

"It's always this way when we first open. It's usually booked by the end of the first hour though. Better get ready!" Tsuki didn't join in her laughter, instead focusing on pushing down her nervousness. She never had a job before, her dad wanted her to fcus on being a child. There was no way she would do well.

"Don't worry," the senior said in response to Tsuki's thoughts and making the girl jump. Was she related to Reborn? "We'll go over everything you need to know." She patted her shoulder comfortingly. "You'll be fine."

"Thank you, Mami-sempai. I-I'll try my best." She felt a little better. She hoped Tsuna had someone like Mami to help him out.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You'll be helping Lavi in the kitchen." The big burly man informed Tsuna. He blinked in surprise up at him. The man was there when he and Tsuki had walked in. His other self was immediately led away by a cute blond girl while the man had silently motioned for Tsuna to follow him to the kitchen. Needless to say that prompted Tsuna into a mental panic. The man was intimidating and he had a habit of towering over people. He almost cried in relief when he saw another person in the kitchen already.

"Lavi," the man called. The boy turned away from the sink to face them. He looked to be about his age but was a head taller. His shoulder-length bright red hair that covered his left eye at once drew Tsuna's attention. He smiled when he caught him staring. He wiped his hands off on his apron and offered his hand to Tsuna.

"Don't worry about the big guy, he's a big teddy bear."

"Y-Yeah…" Tsuna shook the outstretched hand. "He's always like this?"

"Yes, but he only looks like a scary guy," Lavi reassured him. His smile was infectious. "You can go, I'll show him the ropes." The larger man nodded and left quietly. Despite Lavi's reassuring, he didn't really relax until the giant left.

"It's really simple, just wash dishes fast. You don't have scrub really or anything but you do have to make sure it's clean. If a stain won't get off just put it to the side until we have time to deal with it. I don't have to show you how right?" Tsuna shook his head.

"Good. When you're done we put the clean dishes on this counter, so I can put the cake on it and give it to the waitress. It's gotta be fast alright? We're be full pretty soon."

"Eh? Alright?" He didn't know what he was expecting but he didn't want to start working so soon. With his luck he would fail completely before the end of the first hour.

"Hey, don't worry. Anyone can wash dishes. It's easy." Tsuna nodded but he didn't look all together convinced.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tsuki wasn't doing so well. She didn't feel like she was no matter times Mami smiled encouragingly at her. Though once the rush started she didn't have time think of how uncomfortable she was. Her job was to take the orders of half the room and then take the order to the kitchen. She would brief see Tsuna at the sink but his back would be towards her so she couldn't even say hi. Then when she heard the bell ring paired with a call of a number that matched one of her tables.

That was what supposed to happen, anyway. It had only been two hours but so far she had managed to mix up two of her orders, trip three times, and spill a cup of tea on a customer. The soaked customer had stood up angrily to shout at her but a look of fear quickly crossed his face and he sat back down. A large heavy hand patted her on the head.

"It's alright, just get napkins and a new cup," the larger bulky guy said. "It's not that big a deal, right?" he asked the soaked customer.

"N-no, no, no, no, of course not. I shouldn't have gotten so angry in the first place." He was obviously scared of the big guy but Tsuki couldn't be anything but grateful. She hated being yelled at.

That customer left soon after drying off and she was surprised at the large tip he left for her.

 _Is it okay to take this? He only left it because he was intimidated._ She felt guilty for taking it, she didn't even get to apologize properly but it didn't stop her from stuffing the money into her apron. It wasn't for her, she reminded herself. She was here to help Tsuna and his friends.

Tsuki seemed to get the hang of it after that incident. She only tripped once in the hour after that. She even started to become comfortable and smiled at her customers. They seemed to react positively once she found her footing.

"Isn't she just adorable, Sakura?" an older woman asked her friend.

"Of course she is! Are you new, dear? I haven't seen you around."

"I'm only here for today, I'm helping a friend." Well, she wasn't lying.

"What a shame, you're a wonderful girl." the friend cooed. Tsuki blushed at the compliment but her smiled stayed.

"Thank you. Y-You're great too."

The two left after lingering a bit and Tsuki waved them out. They had left a big tip too. She silently hoped the rest of her customers would be as nice as them. And that her other self wasn't having too hard a time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tsuna was having a hard time.

Or, more like this job wasn't doing any favors for his self- confidence.

He had managed to burn his hands by making the water way too hot. He stopped paying attention and pointed the spray nozzle right at his face and soaked himself. He also broke a glass. He wasn't sure how, one moment he was holding it under the water, next it's shattering in his hand. At least he hadn't cut himself.

"Woah! You aren't hurt, are you?" Lavi appeared by his side in an instant and scared the hell out of the other.

"Y-Yes! I'm fine! There isn't even a cut." He waved away any concern. That moment was embarrassing without an audience. Lavi handed him some heavy duty gloves that were a freakishly bright yellow.

"Here, these will protect your hands. Be more careful, alright? We don't have an unlimited supply." He said teasingly. Tsuna felt himself going red.

"Right."

He resumed his task with the gloves. It was more comfortable considering he knew hands were protected though he had to move slower to keep a good grip on the dishes. He fell into a sort of meditative trance that way. It was really relaxing once stopped thinking about it. He jumped when Lavi grabbed his shoulder two hours later.

"Hey, it's starting to slow down." He stated,

"What time is it?" he asked, stretching. He was sore just from just the dishes.

"Around noon," Lavi shrugged.

"Since the morning rush is over I don't need as much help. You can work at the register in the front of the cafe."

"But- Are you sure?" he asked unsure. He didn't want to leave Lavi by himself. "I can stay with you." He grabbed another dish from the smaller than remembered pile near the sink. Huh, he had made more progress than he thought. "I haven't messed up at all in hours-" His defensive protest was cut off by the plate sipping out of his hands and breaking into pieces on the tiled floor. There was a beat of silence while they both stared at shattered flatware.

"Please leave." Lavi stated.

"Alright."

Tsuna felt bad about leaving Lavi, but he liked the register much better; it was easier on his hands. And he didn't have to worry about a wayward splash of water soaking him. He went through a quick tutorial with the 'Big Guy' (his name was Yuusuke, Tsuna finally learned) and was left alone. He stuttered through the questions he was supposed to ask the customers that came in at first. Though he soon got used to talking to so many people at once Yuusuke assured him it wasn't as many as it could have been.

"Well, aren't you a cute one," a _curvy_ woman cooed. She and her equally _well-delevoped_ walked in as they were movie stars, demanding everyone's attention, but surprisingly no one looked at them. They had Tsuna's attention, though. He was embarrassed just looking at them. She had a sizable chest which she was all but pushing into his face when she leaned over. It made uncomfortable to say the least. He wondered if he looked ridiculous, a bright red and nervous wreck of a mess. He couldn't even look in their general direction. Yes, he must have looked ridiculous.

"Hmm… this is our first time here, what do you think I should order?" she asked. The woman leaned back and Tsuna was no longer choking on her perfume. He tried to discreetly gulp down the clean air.

"I-I'm new too, but the fudge cake looks good."

"Is that right? Alright we'll get two slices of that." Her friend stated.

"Okay, here of to go?"

She gave him a small mischievous smirk. "If we stay, will you serve us, cutie?" She folded her arms under her chest which made her breast almost pop out of her shirt. She smiled wider when she saw her face get redder.

"N-no, I'm sure Tsuki would serve you." The wall was really interesting just then.

"Shame…" she sighed.

"Oh, is Tsuki your other half?" the first woman asked. It was as if an icy hand grabbed hold of his stomach.

"H-h-huh! How did you-?!" he stuttered in shock.

"Whoa, calm down. I just thought that since you were Tsuna and she was Tsuki you were either siblings or a couple; I took a shot in the dark."

"Oh, um, but… how do you know my name?" He didn't think he mentioned it…

"It's on your nametag." She answered pointing at his chest. He looked down and saw there was indeed a nametag on his apron that very clearly identified him as 'Tsuna.'

"Oh, um…" he trailed off. There was a moment where he fumbled for what to say but there wasn't anything he could do to make himself look less like a fool.

"Kufufufu." That familiar laugh made his head shoot up and stare at the two did she just..?

"You were right, his reactions are very amusing." The first said.

"Indeed," she was smirking.

"Wha-?" the only one who laughed liked that was… His eyes widened in realization. "Rokudo Mukuro!" The two were engulfed in slowly engulfed in mist and were it receded the women were replaced with Mukuro in his typical Kokuyo uniform and pineapple themed hair. His twin stood next to him, except she was a girl and her hair reached the small of her back. Instead of wearing the girl version of the Kokuyo uniform, her jacket was only half length adorned with large silver buttons and tight green pants with black boots with a small wedge. She and her other self were the same camouflage t-shirt. She watched him take her in.

"I modified the boy uniform. The skirt would have been bothersome with my fighting style. This suits me better anyway," she explained.

"Ahh, you're…" he didn't finish so she could fill in the blank. She gave him a smug smile and for a moment Tsuna was scared she wouldn't make it easy for him.

"Mukuro." She took pity on him. So she had the same name, that might be confusing. But more importantly…

"What are you doing here? Especially you! You're supposed to be in our universe." Did that mean that they weren't safe here anymore, since Mukuro staying behind created an anchor for them?

"We came to see you. I wanted you to explain the situation you got my dear Chrome into." He kept his smile but the air around him got several degrees colder. His other self seemed unaffected but Tsuna wanted to hide. He managed to piss of one of the most dangerous people he knew.

"I-I didn't! It was an accident but I haven't forgot my promise. Nothing bad will happen to her." His face didn't change but the air seemed warmer, he was satisfied with Tsuna's answer at least.

"Hmm, then that's good enough for me. Even if it's the word of Mafia." Tsuna sighed in relief.

"Well?" the female Mukuro spoke up. "Are you going to show us to our table or not, Tsunayoshi." She drew out every syllableas if she was trying out his name. She chuckled quietly under her breath, she was giving a hard time on purpose. She was a bigger handful than her male counterpart.

"You're staying?!"

"Of course," Mukuro replied. "We were invited by the Arcobaleno. My other self is so very delightful, I offered to treat her." He lifted his arm and the female Mukuro looped hers through his. They looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

"Yes! Here, this way," he moved from behind the register and showed him to one of Tsuki's tables. He didn't want to pawn them off on her but it was the only empty one there.

"Wha-? What are you doing here?" Tsuki asked shocked. Tsuna gave a short gasp and shifted away from the girl that appeared behind him. She shot him a quick apologetic smile but turned back to the two Murkuros sitting at one of the tables she was responsible for.

"Us? What are you doing wearing _that_?" the female Mukuro asked. She looked like just in the same room as her outfit gave her a headache. Tsuki resisted the urge to try to cover her uniform. There wasn't anything that would hide it.

"Why are you here?" she repeated herself.

"We would like two slices of the fudge cake." Mukuro said.

"A two fruit parfaits." His counterpart added.

Tsuki blinked at the normal request. She would think that having them being here would just mean trouble, they seemed to be well-behaved.

"Alright then, anything to drink?"

"Coffee with sugar," the two answer at the same time. They shared a looked of approval for each other.

"I'm happy you have good taste. As expected of myself."

"Kufufufu. I would have to agree."

Tsuki had bad feeling. Two Mukuros that got along was like two Reborns getting along. Nothing good could come from that union.

"I'll get it right away." She and Tsuna moved away back to their respective stations.

"Why did you send them to me?" she whispered to him before they parted.

"It was the only table!" he defended himself. She turned her head to the three tables on Mami's side, awaiting occupation. She turned back to him, silently demanding explanation for his betrayal. He grinned sheepishly.

"It was the closest?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The visit from the Murkuros didn't go as bad as she thought it would. They lingered, drawing out Tsuki's discomfort. She was even able to get her Mukuro to agree to use a nickname: Mui. Then they misted out, leaving behind two Chromes.

"What happened?" she asked. They seemed to be having fun tormenting her. (She still wasn't talking to Tsuna.) Why would they suddenly leave?

"Mukuro-sama can't always possess me for extended periods. It's tiring, she says." Monochrome answered quietly. Chrome nodded in agreement.

"Well, do you want anything? I can get you some cake or something."

"Can we get a whole cake to take back with us?" she asked.

"Of course, what kind?"

"What Mukuro-sama had." Tsuki left to get the cake and they left after paying for it and the meal.

"Those were your friends?" Mami asked from behind, scaring her the way she had scared Tsuna. Oh, the irony.

"The boy with the two different eyes was cute, is he single?"

Tsuki sighed, she was only halfway through her shift.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The hours afterwards were peaceful and calm and Tsuki was able to do her job without incident.

Until the two Yamamotos showed up.

With the Reborns.

Why her?

"Reborn! Tohru! What are you doing here?!"

"Ha ha, the kid showed up and told us that we should try the snacks here. I didn't know you worked here. Have you always?" she replied. She seemed to be having fun with her other self. They sat across each other at one of Tsuki's table, a Reborn on each shoulder. Tsuna stood behind them appearing very guilty.

 _Sorry,_ he mouthed.

She sighed. Only a couple of hours left. She could survive a few hours.

"Don't look like that, what trouble could we cause?" Tsuki's Reborn asked her.

They weren't there five minutes before they caused trouble. _Five minutes._

She didn't know how; she didn't know _why_ , but they started a _food fight._ It must have started when Tohru asked if Tsuki wanted to see Takeshi's amazing arm. The question confused her, she could see his arm just fine. It looked like any other arm. Then she realized what her friend meant when she watched Tohru hand him a cream puff and yell 'Go!' She had just enough time to jump out the way when the Cream Puff of Death came flying toward her. She watched in slow motion from the floor as the pastry soared to the opposite side of the room and hit an innocent bystander in the face.

Then all hell broke loose.

Tsuki and Tsuna both hid in the same corner to avoid the flying sweets. Both Yamamotos with all their laughter got a little too serious. They ended up knocking out a few people with their cream puffs.

The chaos went on until Yusuke chose to step in. No one wanted to go against such a huge man that was obviously not happy. He advised everyone that they should pay for their food and leave. _Quickly._ He carried Yamamoto and Tohru (who hadn't stopped laughing but looked somewhat repentant) by the scruff out the door himself.

"Next time your friends want to visit, tell them not to." He told the two brunettes.

"We would if we could." Tsuna whined. Reborn on top of his head pulled a good chuck of hair in annoyance.

"We're sorry." Tsuki said.

"We'll have to only do to-go orders for the rest of the day. The dining area will have to be cleaned." The pointed look he gave them left no question who would be cleaning.

The two Reborns were gone in an instant. Tsuki thought it was because their fun was over. Tsuki stopped counting the hours and got back to work.

A/N: This chapter… was longer than I thought it would be. I been working on it whenever I had a spare moment so I added all the ideas I thought be good or funny. Then I finally realized if I really 'finished' (as in finished Tsuna's and Tsuki's day after they had gone shopping) it would take forever and go on for forever. So I decided to make it two parts. But I'm happy I get to update. (No matter how much homework I happen to be blowing off.) Hope you enjoyed it.

P.S. _did anyone actually read this?_


	11. Chapter 11

11\. Pairing Up Is Hard To Do (Part 2)

It took the last of their shift to clean up all the pastries and creams off the wall. The good news was that it didn't take half as long to get Tsuki to forgive him. He did truly feel guilty for dumping Mukuro, Mui, Yamamoto and Tohru, and then the Reborns on her. It took some puppy eyes and smashing some cream on his own face to get a laugh and her forgiveness.

"Thanks, you two." Lavi said as Tsuna cleaned his face. "Even though you caused all of those problems today." Tsuna chuckled nervously in response. Lavi was not one to pull punches.

"Sorry. We didn't mean for it to end up like this," he apologized.

"It's alright." Lavi waved away his concerns. He didn't seem angry or put out. He was smiling. "I like you guys."

"Yeah, come visit me sometime Tsuki-chan. And introduce me to you friend, alright?" Mami asked. Tsuki smiled back. She planned on coming back. But she wouldn't let her meet Mukuro again. She liked her too much.

"Here." Yuusuke handed them each a thick envelope and both of their mouths fell open. Inside was a stack of cash way too large for a single day's work. Especially one that had racked up so many damages.

"Why...? Why is there so much?" Tsuki stuttered out. While she hated to admit it, their presence seemed to could more harm than good. She looked up at the large man searching for an answer. He smiled gently back.

"I like you. You work hard." He said simply.

"Also, we can't have our future boss thinking we cheated her out of fair wages. That wouldn't end well for us." Lavi chimed in. Tsuki looked at Tsuna but he was just as confused by the red-head's comment.

"Ha? Tsuki, are you planning to buy the shop? Aren't you a little young?" Mami asked. She didn't understand her co-worker either. Tsuki shook her head frantically. "NO! I-I don't know what he means-"

Lavi laughed at her reaction, "Sure you don't, boss. Sure."

"Good job, Tsuki you did got paid well, based on your hard work and connections. Just like a true mafia boss would." Reborn interjected.

The two teenagers jumped and screamed by the sudden appearance of the two babies. They were both dressed as actual babies. Her Reborn was wearing jean overalls that ended in a skirt and a pink shirt underneath adorned with pink bows on each sleeve. Her counterpart wore matching overalls and a blue shirt with a duck on each sleeve. They had forgone shoes and only wore socks that corresponded with their shirt. Instead of their natural wild black hair, both had long smooth blonds. They had both somehow acquired a slice of cake for each of them.

"When did you get here!" she asked (screeched) in surprise.

"Why are you dressed that way?" Tsuna asked in a similar voice.

Both Reborns smirked at the question.

"Me and my big brother like to match!" Tsuki's Reborn stated in a cutesy voice.

"Papa told us to make sure you go to the mall next then make it home for dinner. Aren't we so good?" the other said. They both took another bite of their cake.

Tsuki sighed. At least they were being weird instead of violent. She walked over to their table with Tsuna close at her heels.

She started asking what they were doing but stopped at the look her Reborn was giving her.

"Why are you giving me that look? Is something wrong?" she asked worried. She didn't recognize that look and it put her on edge. A look of what might have been bemusement passed over the baby's face before it was gone.

"Nothing's wrong, Dame-Tsuki, let's go." The child said normally. They must have gotten bored with their game. Both stood at the same, signaling it was time to say goodbye.

"Goodbye, everyone."

"It was nice meeting you all." The other workers waved and called out their goodbyes. Mami even got Tsuki to promise to visit before she left. She had every intention of keeping it.

Their parting left a warm feeling with Tsuki as they walked back to the clothing district. There were some problems but she liked the cake shop. She silently hoped the rest of the day was as pleasant as her shift.

"You'll have a couple hours to pick out everyone in Tsuna's group at least three outfits. Your father wants you back before dark and everyone will need those clothes."

Then at least one pair had to be pajamas, Tsuna mused, if they were going to be sleeping over. She would had to make sure did laundry for them tonight also. A soft tug on her hair drew her out of her thoughts.

"We're here." Tsuki picked the baby out of her hair, a little surprised at how easy it was. Reborn never let really let her hold her, instead choosing to hitch a ride in her hair or shoulder. She never realized how small she really was; she fit easily into her hands. Maybe because she never got a chance to do this it didn't feel … right. It didn't help that Reborn was still giving her a strange look.

"Are you sure nothing's wrong, Reborn?" she asked again. The baby smirked up at her.

"When have I ever been unsure?" she hopped out of Tsuki's arms and stood next to her male counterpart. "Ciaossu." The two were gone before Tsuki or Tsuna could respond.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That isn't the right size." Tsuki said. Tsuna looked at the white leaf- printed shirt in his hands. It looked fine to him. He looked back at her.

"Why do you say that?"

"It's too small for Yamamoto. It needs to be at least two sizes bigger," she answered.

"This was for Gokudera." Tsuki blushed.

"It's just- I thought- it would look better on Yamamoto. Not that I don't think Gokudera wouldn't like it!" She amended.

"It's alright, you're just trying to help and it's not like I've done this before. I really need your advice," he appeased.

They had found a small outlet store that catered to both men and women. It wasn't high-end but Tsuki assured him their clothes were good quality, she had shopped there a few times before. They had earned a lot but it would be safer to look for a bargain.

"Why? It's a nice shirt for either of them, right?" Tsuna didn't think Gokudera wouldn't like the shirt. He didn't like the thought but he was sure the bomber would enthusiastically accept whatever Tsuna brought back.

"It just would, I think." She answered. "How about this for Sasawaga-kun?" she held up a plain black t-shirt. Tsuna thought it was a good choice, considering how he was sure the elder boy would insist on sticking to his work- out regime. It would be a good idea to buy him lighter clothes.

"Okay, how about…" he searched for another piece of clothing, "this." He held up a pair skinny black jeans. She nodded.

"They would look good on Gokudera," she insisted.

It went on like that for a while. Both picking out items of clothing they thought would be acceptable and holding it up to the other for inspection. More of Tsuki's of picks passed. Tsuna's had mostly failed the first time.

"A bigger size."

"A Smaller size."

"No. Just no."

Tsuna looked down at the shirt in his hand. It wasn't that bad, just a bit… _bright_.

"But-" he tried to defend.

"No."

"Maybe…"

"NO."

Tsuna set the shirt down. Tsuki showed him three plain white buttoned up shirts, mostly in an attempt to distract him from his terrible choice. She also had a black-as-oil jacket. Tsuna couldn't tell what material was where he was standing, but he knew it would be smooth and slick to the touch.

"For who?" None of his friends really wore such plain shirts except with their uniforms.

"Hibari-kun," she responded simply. She grimaced at his incredulous look.

"Yeah, I know. I just can't imagine him in anything else. This was as close to the school uniform as I could get." Tsuna thought about it and realized he couldn't imagine Hibari in anything but his school uniform. Or black. He was sure the prefect had a very extensive wardrobe, he had just never seen it. And if they had to buy Hibari clothes, it was best to play it safe and avoid getting bitten to death.

Tsuki was looking toward him for approval, slightly apprehensive. She was also aware this was a dangerous choice.

"I think- I think it'll be okay." The only other option was to get him nothing, which was much worse.

"Is that it for that boys?" Tsuki asked. Tsuna looked to the piles they had made. There was one for every boy. He quickly checked to make sure there was there of everything.

"Yeah."

"Wait!" Tsuki called out. A strange mixture of realization, embarrassment, and horror. "Socks and underwear."

Tsuna blinked at her and pulled a face too. They would definitely need underwear, they all would. That would be weird, right? He would have to buy them underwear. That they would wear. He would have to pick out underwear that they would have to wear. While picking them out he would have to picture them wearing- no. Stop. He didn't need to think about that.

Wait- boxers or briefs? No. Stop.

He wasn't even accounting for the girls yet.

Oh, god. _Stop!_ The girls.

Tsuna was blushing bright red as he tried to banish the mental imagine of Kyoko in nothing but underwear. This wasn't the place for that!

"Tsuna?" Tsuki's call brought him down to earth. "Are you alright?" Tsuna took note of her red cheeks. Maybe she was thinking of Kyohei.

 _No way she's as big a per as I am._

"I'm fine. I'll get the underwear for the boys. Can you- for the girls..?" She nodded, sparing him from embarrassing himself more.

"The girls clothes too?"

"Please," he practically begged. He really didn't trust himself around girl things.

He grabbed an unattended cart and shoved everything inside. They spilt up once they got to the underwear section of the store. Tsuna forced himself to relax. He could handle underwear. He wears underwear! All the time!

He looked through what they had. There was mostly packaged sets instead of individual pairs. He guessed that was better, at least he wouldn't have to look through each pair and imagine if the others could fit it. That would have been more than he could handle. He grabbed a large pile of boxers and briefs and told himself they could figure it out between themselves. After a moment's thought he grabbed one more of each to ensure there was enough for everyone.

"Are you ready?" Tsuki asked from besides him. Tsuna jumped. He hadn't seen her come back. She had already added her finds to the cart.

"Y-yeah. Let's pay for all this." He was tired, he wanted to go home- or rather Tsuki's home. He pushed down a sharp pang of sorrow. He had to have hope that Irie and Spanner will be able to bring them back home.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"We have a bit left, do you want anything?" he asked Tsuki. After paying they only had a few yen left. Not enough for anything big, maybe just a small trinket. There wasn't anything that Tsuna wanted (other than a long rest) but he did see Tsuki staring at something in another store's window. "We could try to get it."

"Huh? Oh no, no," she waved away his offer, red- faced. "I don't need anything, besides the money was for you and your friends."

"It's okay, we were meant to get my friends clothes and we did. Without you I would have gotten everything wrong. I want to thank you."

"But- really?" she asked, still a bit unsure.

"Yes, won't you accept my gift?" Tsuna knew it was dirty move, but he knew that if he couldn't turn down a request or be impolite, then Tsuki most likely can't either.

"Ah- um. Okay. Thank you, Tsuna." He smiled back at her.

"Was it over there?" he pointed in the direction he caught her staring in. she nodded slowly. "Come on."

The first thing Tsuna noticed about the store was that it smelled really good for some reason. The second was that it mostly sold knick- knacks and tourist-y things. It was really a store for out- of- towners, not really for natives. What could Tsuki want out of here? He looked at her and she point to an aisle near the register, very easily seen from the wide front window. There was wide variety of small boxed trinkets hanging off hooks. Tsuki pulled off a box and showed it to him.

It was a key. It was thin and long with a golden color. It had three small prongs at the end. The top shaped into a thin heart with the word 'Namimori' engraved into it, a diamond dotted the first 'I'. The box advised it as the key to the city. It was a show key. It's main purpose in life to look pretty.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting he to pick, maybe a necklace or something like that. Why was she so interested in a play key?

"Do you like it?" she asked, insecure.

"Of course. It's nice. Is this it?" he didn't want to hurt her feelings. And he did offer to get whatever she wanted.

The key wiped out what meager funds they had left. The cashier wished them a good day and they left the outlet. Tsuna was glad the day was over, finally. His sigh of relief turned into a sharp cry when a sudden weigh on his head almost tipped him over. His efforts to regain balance nearly knocked Tsuki over too.

"Are you done shopping, big brother of mine?" a squeaky voice asked from the top of his head.

"Reborn!" he cried out, trying to look up at the baby. "What are you doing?!" the infant hopped and turned back to look at the brunette. He was still dressed in that strange outfit. He had a strange twinkle in his eye.

"We wanted to see if you were done yet. Right, little sister?"

"Right, big brother!"

They were still doing the act too. Great.

"Are you walking home with us, Reborn?" Tsuki asked. She seemed as if she was studying the little hitman. Did she sense them planning something?

"No, we called for a ride. She should he here in a moment."

"Who?" they both asked at the same time, just as a fancy pink car pulled out in front of them. Tsuna was glad it was late and there barely anyone around because he was sure the driver was speeding and the way they parked was illegal. They all had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit.

The window rolled down to reveal a dark-haired woman wearing glasses in the passenger seat. Her hair was slicked back into a small ponytail and she wore a black expensive suit. Her eyes landed on Tsuna first as if she was sizing him up, then they shifted to Tsuki. She gave the girl a tiny respectful smile.

"Decima."

"Romio!" Tsuki answered. Tsuna stayed quiet, trying to figure out who the woman was on his own. She looked familiar and her name sounded like Romario's. If he was right than that meant that the driver could only be…

A blond head poked its way besides Romio's. "Hey, little sister!"

"Dee Dee! What are you doing here?! Weren't you in Italy?"

Dino's counterpart laughed at her questions. "Reborn called, she said you needed me."

"Reborn did?" she glanced down at the hitman, who smirked up at her.

"I didn't think a meeting between two useless students would be necessary, but the Ninth insisted. For safety measures. She even wanted the Varia to come."

"The Varia?!" both screeched. A look of utter terror struck their faces. "Are they really coming?!"

The babies seemed to be enjoying their student's panic. They shrugged. "Who knows?"

Before Tsuna could protest, (he and his friends were not a threat, the Varia was NOT needed) Romio stepped out of the car and took all four large bags from them and placed them in the trunk. Then she held the door open for them.

"Thank you, Romio." Tsuki said as she got in. The Reborns hopped in after them, Tsuna last.

"Whoa, I'm seeing double. Reborn warned me but I wasn't prepared for this," She said, meeting their eyes in the rear mirror. "You could be twins."

The car ride was quick and quiet. Mostly because both Tsuki and Tsuna were too terrified to do more than hold tightly to the car door. When they finally stopped in front of Tsuki's house, Tsuna could swear that the whole car almost tipped over.

"We're here," Dee Dee happily announced, as they the two mafia bosses weren't already scrambling to get out of the car. She looked honestly confused as she got out. "Are you that happy to be back?"

Tsuna wondered if the only reason they were still alive was because Romio was present. He shivered at the thought of Dee Dee's driving without her right- hand around.

"Can we just go in please?" Tsuki begged. She wanted to get away from the car. Tsuna seconded the notion though he was still a little too wobbly to get immediately to his feet.

"What's taking so long," one of the Reborns asked (Tsuna couldn't tell he wasn't looking), "Do you want to go on another ride?"

They were both through the door at a moment's notice.

"Daddy, I'm home." Tsuki called out. Tsuna watched as the tension from her shoulders relaxed.

"Sorry for intruding." Dee Dee added.

"Tsuki-chan! You're just in time for dinner. Your friends are all in the back." Nano nearly shouted from the kitchen. "Go check on them please."

"Okay!" she called back. The small group followed her to the living room. Tsuna was surprised to find them so well-behaved. There was a mild chatter aand Lambo's and Lambi's voices could be heard over it but everyone seemed to be content to talk excitedly with their counterparts. Except the Gokuderas who were as far from each other as they could get.

"Whoa," Dee Dee repeated. She seemed bewildered to see so many doubles.

"It takes some getting used, huh?" Reborn smirked at her student.

"Yeah."

"Hey, guys," Tohru greeted them. The chatter quieted and everyone focused their attention on them. The two brunettes awkwardly waved.

"Welcome back, Tenth," both silverettes called out. Then they glared at each other.

"Give them the clothes, then we'll eat." Tsuki's Reborn commanded. She was impatient when it came to food. Romio handed them the bags and they handed them out. There was a general approval rate that made Tsuna hopeful. They wouldn't have to do this again tomorrow.

"You fail." The Reborns deadpanned.

"H-how?! They liked them! And they fit!" Tsuna protested.

"Yes, but you had to get _everyone_ three outfits."

"We did!"

"Dame- Tsuna, where are _your_ clothes?" The question made Tsuna stop and Tsuki blush.

 _We forgot to buy me clothes!_

"Guess we know what you two are doing tomorrow," Girl- Reborn teased.

Both sighed in defeat.

 _Crap._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AN: Well, first I'm sorry for taking so long. The end of senior year should not be so demanding. But I have not forgotten this story. On that note I have to tell you I have been typing this on a school laptop. Which they want back on Friday. And I don't know when I'll get another. So, expect slooooow updates. I wanted to at least finish this before I sat down to type my final essay. But I will be writing by hand, so I'll have lots of chapters when I do get a new computer. So if anyone wants to tell me which character they want the next chapter to be based on or just review, feel free. I have no idea. I just know it won't be Tsuna and Tsuki.

Til next time. Ciao ciao.


	12. Chapter 12

NEW COMPUTER! I am so happy. I get to keep working on this story. I am sorry for the wait getting ready for college and getting used to college is tough. But you don't want my excuses just the new chapter. Be sure to review even if to tell me off.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 12: Rainy Days are the Best (Day 2)

Yamamoto understood the basic gist of _why_ they were safe and the assurance was enough to release some of the tension that had set into his shoulders- a product of the worry he would never admit to. He supposed he didn't have to stress over it now, since Irie and Spanner were working on getting them home. He could focus on Tohru, who in her excitement was trying to tug his arm off. He shifted her hold so they were interlocking arms.

"Where are we going to now?" he was looking forward to play baseball with someone who loved the game as much as he did. He just wasn't sure where she would want to play. He preferred by the river but Tohru might have had a different place in mind.

"We need to stop by my house to get the mittens and the baseballs. I forgot to bring them along," she answered. Yamamoto couldn't stop the slight frown that made its way onto his face. He wasn't sure he was ready to see Tohru's home. He thought back to Tsuna's reaction when they arrived at Tsuki's house before he pulled himself together at the kid's prompting. He wasn't exactly looking forward to be reminded that he still wasn't back home.

"Do you want to wait outside?" Tohru asked. She had sensed Yamamoto's shift in mood.

He forced a laugh to dispel her worries. "I'll be fine. It'll be interesting to see my dad as your mom." And maybe it would be better to get the disappointment out of the way first, especially since he'll have to stay near his female counterpart. Tohru smiled in response.

Tohru filled the walk back to the sushi shop by questioning him about himself. She shared the others' interest in their differences.

"Ah," he smiled at one of her casual confessions, "You're a cheerleader?"

"Was. My mother put me in when I was young, but I've always played baseball. I've just recently left it and focused on the game."

"What made you quit?"

"Hmm... I didn't quit. We're here."

He let her shift the conservation away from cheerleadering to look up at the shop. YamaSushi wasn't much different from TakeSushi except for the name. At least from the outside. Yamamoto wasn't sure if that made this easier or not.

The inside wasn't much different in his father's design. The walls were a pale white-blue and the the table looked new with glass tops and small smooth rocks in the indentions in the tables wood. Yamamoto didn't think it was too much of a difference but the changes made it feel more upscale.

"Do you like it?" Tohru asked a bit proud, "Last year Mom remodeled a bit and she let me help. I chose the wall color.

"It's nice." he meant it. Maybe he should bring up the idea to his dad.

When he saw him again.

"Tohru! You're back early," the woman at the counter called out when she noticed them at the door.

"Hi, mom. I'm only here for a second. I need some things from my room." She gestured to him. "This is-uh my new friend."

She pulled him over to an empty table. "I'll be right back." she told him before she was up the stairs two at a time.

He tapped at the glass and snuck glances at his- well _dad_ when she wasn't looking. She had harder edges and some wrinkles in her face but when she smiled at him and her other customers they lightened and made her look younger.

"Here." a plate of sushi clinked when it met the glass. He looked up at her smiling face. "On the house."

She waited until he had tried a piece and complimented her before asking for his name.

"Yamamoto Takeshi," he answered without thinking then realized his mistake. How was he going to explain how he had the some last name. Oblivious to his anxious smile, she laughed.

"We have the same the last name, guess that means you're family."

"Ha ha, yeah..." He kinda was.

"So, how did you meet my Tohru?"

"Uh... Our friends crashed into each other and after that we all started to hang out together." Well, that was what happened.

"Really? Well I love entertaining my daughter's friends. You're welcome back anytime." she patted him on the head as she left to tend to her guests.

He let a real smile spread across his face and some his left over disappointment ease. This wasn't his home but at least he wouldn't be a stranger during his time here.

Tohru was back with mittens, a bat, and a baseball.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, standing. He felt lighter.

He followed her to the river side. Guess they did like the same place.

Tohru shot forward, throwing the mittens at him and stood a distant away from him. She kept the ball but let the bat rest on the ground besides her feet.

"Are you ready for a fastball!" she asked enthusiastically. He laughed at her display. He punched his glove in a show of baseball professionalism.

"Yeah! Give me all you got." he shouted but instantly regretted his words when Tohru released a terrifying wave of killing intent and her sharp eyes locked on him. The ball flew at unnatural speed and Yamamoto only had a split second t0 brace himself to meet it. The ball hit him with enough force to throw him back violently to the ground. He had been told by people- his teammates, Tsuna, and a pissed off Gokudera that his pitch was scary; he had just never been on the opposite side of it before.

A weaker man would have been seriously hurt.

"Are you okay? Sorry, I've never been good at holding back," she called, obviously distressed. He sat up stiffly, using one arm because the other palm was still stinging, even after being protected by the mitt. He laughed it off , it wasn't too bad; a small price to pay to play with a good player. Though maybe they should have worn all the protective gear.

Nah, they would be fine.

"Ready for my turn?" he smiled.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It must have been a few hours before the kids came to check on them. To the average bystander their game seemed very deadly and dangerous. They looked to be always on the verge of killing each other. The first time Yamamoto threw a pitch for Tohru to catch he watched her go through the same realization as him, ironically it didn't stop them from going all out with each other. Yamamoto was sporting a dark mark on his forehead and Tohru suffered a blow to the stomach-all before the bats were brought into the mix. Both simply laughed it off and kept playing.

"Having fun?" His kid asked.

"Yeah!" Tohru answered. The fact she was in the process of regaining the breath that was knocked out of her didn't at all damper her apparent happiness.

"Do you need anything?" he asked them.

"No, but are you hungry? We know a great place to eat." Girl-Reborn said. He heard Tsuna mutter that name under his breath in regards to Reborn's other self. He liked how simple it was.

"Well, yeah. Where did have in mind?" he tried to hide a small nervous grin at the matching sly smirks on their faces.

"Nowhere special, just a small cafe."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hi Tsuki!" Tohru greeted happily. She said nothing about the uniform she was wearing; they both knew it was awful. As her good friend, she decided not to rub it in.

"Have you always worked here?" Tohru didn't ask about Tsuki's slight glare at Tsuna or her answering weary- sounding sigh. She sat at one of the cafe's tables along with Yamamoto and the Reborns. She and her male counterpart were looking over the menu while their Reborn assured her they would not cause trouble.

Contrary to what Tsuki will say later, they did last longer than five minutes. Though she will admit that demonstrating Takeshi's arm could have waited until they were outside.

The resulting chaos was stopped by a big guy that carried her and Takeshi out himself. She did feel bad for her part but the whole situation was really funny.

"Hey Tohru, did you actually eat anything?" he asked her.

Then they decided to return to the sushi shop. Tohru's mother gave them each a small plate to hold them over until dinner. The Reborns had talked to her before going to interrupt their game. She had agreed to let him stay over, in her room no less, but she did have a few rules.

"Keep the door open. You sleep on the floor. Go straight to sleep," she warned them.

"Mom!" they both were red, "Nothing will happen. It's for our game!" The woman's stern face lightened.

"I know, Tohru, I just have to be sure. I'm not ready for grandchildren."

"Mom!"

She walked away laughing, leaving two embarrassed, bright-red teens, who decided they would like to avoid the humiliation by running to the Sawada household.

Tohru yelled out they were leaving to her mother and they were out the door. They needed to pick up Takeshi's new clothes anyway, so Tohru didn't feel bad for taking the coward's way out. The wait for Tsuna and Tsuki was filled with small chat about their day. Everyone seemed to have had a good time, except the Gokudera and Hibari (who wasn't there).

"Here," Tsuna said as he handed Takeshi his clothes. they had been waiting for them to arrive so they could all eat dinner together. They had brought along two surprising guests; the blond one seemed really shocked to meet all of them, though she recovered quickly. Tohru pulled out a leaf-printed shirt and held it up against his chest.

"How does it look?" he asked.

"Great! Especially with your skin."she helped him shift through the pile. She pulled out a pair of boxers and held them up to Yamamoto's nose.

"Tsuna thought of everything, didn't he?" she teased. He yanked it out of her hand blushing. That was awkward.

"Ha, guess he did."

"I like this one," she commented, pulling out a blue pair with baseball print.

He pulled the entire pile away from her while she giggled teasingly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a fun day, he thought as he reviewed it in his head. He was on the floor of Tohru's room. Her mother had flat-out ordered that the door was to remain open through the whole night. There was a faith sound of the TV from downstairs but it was easy to ignore.

"I'm happy that this was a good day," Tohru voiced from her bed. "It feels like every time we meet someone new, they pull us into a fight to the death. I don't like that part of the Mafia game.

He thought of that too but decided not to worry about it. He couldn't imagine Tohru attacking him.

"Well, I'm happy too. Hopefully, we'll keep having fun."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Mirrored Mists (Day 2)

A/N: This was supposed to be an Hibari chapter but it's chapter thirteen (unlucky, spooky) and that reminds me of Mukuro. I wasn't too broken up about changing the order.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Monochrome wasn't excited about taking on his other self. He was comfortable around few people but this was a job given to him by his Boss. He had no intention of screwing it up.

"Do you have anything you would like to do?" he asked her quietly. She didn't answer for a while. They walked aimlessly away from the clearing in silence.

Monochrome had the sneaking suspicion this wouldn't be an easy job.

"Um," came a quiet voice, "can we go to Kokuyo Land?"

He wasn't sure why he hadn't already thought of that. Whenever he was stressed or uncomfortable, he went back there. If he couldn't than he imagined being there. He couldn't think of a world where he wouldn't be attached to that place.

"Yes."

His aimless walk suddenly had purpose. He led the way through the city. It wasn't until they had almost made it there that he realized that maybe the other occupants of the amusement park would not be happy about their unexpected guest.

Well, he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

He stopped at the small convenience store for to buy them the two of them chocolate bars, both to butter her up and justify the silence if only for the moment.

"What are your Ken and Chikusa like?" she asked from behind him. The candy must have been more effective than he thought.

He took a moment to think over the names. He tried to imagine his friends as men but couldn't quite manage it.

"Well, here they are Kenna and Chika. Kenna is very loud and confident. She also likes animals. Chika is very quiet and smart." he started softly. He could have told her more about them; more than the smallest of facts anyway, but he could tell that wasn't her real question. He was sure Chrome was curious about the two she would most likely spend a lot of time with but they weren't the woman she wanted to hear about. Monochrome didn't blame her for being indirect. How does one gently bring up the subject of Rokudo Mukuro?

"Mukuro-sama is..." he paused, searching for the words, "Mukuro-sama is the one who saved me and she does care for me in her own way. Though I can see how others would not agree with her methods."

"Yes." was her only response. He wasn't sure if was meant to mean she felt the same way about her Mukuro or was simply showing she was listening. Either way it didn't really matter, he supposed.

He held the gate open for her to slide through. The lock was only for show but the gate sometimes got stuck on you or it would keep trying to slide shut; he wasn't sure how it was able to do both. She moved to stand beside him instead of trailing behind him. Some of confidence seemed to return with being in her safe place.

"Who is she?" Chika asked. Monochrome hadn't noticed her at the entrance of the theater and turned to face her a little too quickly, startling Chrome. He turned to send her an apologetic look before answering.

"I have to take care of her."

"Why?"

"For Boss."

She made a small disapproving noise. While she was less vocal about it than Kenna or Mukuro-sama, she never hid her dislike of the Vongola.

"Why does she have to be here, then?"

"I-I would rather tell the both of you at once." Also he was afraid that this would be enough to make the animal-girl make good on her threats to get rid of him. Having Chika will prevent her from doing anything drastic.

The girl in question looked from him to the girl who had discretely shifted behind him to keep the attention off her. For all her curiosity, she seemed to have lost her nerve once she was face to face with them.

"She looks just like you," Chika stated. She didn't press on and ask why. She must have realized that it was a part of the explanation he was going to give them both. She chose to simply led them up to the amphitheater. Mukuro-sama used it as her room but the rest of the Kokuyo gang felt comfortable to come and go as they please despite they're various rooms all over the park.

"Whose that?" Kenna yelled out the moment they walked in. She shot up from her leaning position on the couch towards the back. In the back of his mind Monochrome knew that was where Mukuro-sama drew the line. Though right then he was more concerned with the blonde's quickly rising aggression levels.

"Calm down, Kenna. Monochrome is going to explain to us why." Chika jumped in. She was silent and Monochrome took the cue to start talking.

He kept it short but, unlike when he was being bounced between the past and present, he didn't have any reason for secrecy. He did, however, stress the fact that they were already working on going home so Chrome would not be housed here long.

"So, she's you?" Chika asked. She had been respectfully quiet through the explanation completely opposite of Kenna, who had no problems voicing her disbelief. The girl pulled on the strings of her cat beanie, thinking. The fact that she didn't outright reject meant that she might help him convince Kenna, whose dark scowl signaled she wouldn't be easy to convince.

"What the hell made you think you could bring her here? Just one of you gets on my nerves." She bared her teeth at the two of them.

"Kenna, calm down. Its not that big of a deal."

"Not that- we can't anyone just come in here! And I don't want anyone from the Vongola here!" she pointed an accusing finger at Chrome, "She might be a spy for all we know!"

"Spy on what? Mukuro-sama does all the scheming." Chika asked.

"Well- we could plan something!"

"Like what?" she pressed.

"Uh, um, I don't know… something." she faltered. "I don't care, she can't stay here."

"You aren't in charge, Kenna," Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. She didn't enjoy her frequent power trips.

"You aren't either." she shot back.

There was a brief silence. It was a stalemate.

"Guys, I'll be with her all the time and we won't really be _here._ Just allow her to stay for now."

Kenna glared at him. "You should have known better than to bring her here."

Monochrome looked to Chika for help. She stared blankly back.

"Will Mukuro-sama answer you now? Ask her. If she says she can stay or has to leave, no one can argue."

"Um, I can call her." He closed his eyes and reached out with his mind for the familiar presence that always seemed to hover in the back of his mind. _Mukuro-sama?_ There wasn't an answer. She could be out in the mindscape, searching for something interesting to look into or could just be sleeping. He called again.

 _Yes?_ She sounded tired. Asleep, then.

 _Can I have a… friend over?_ She was quiet while she processed his request.

 _What aren't you telling me about this friend?_ Nothing could get past her. _What's the problem?_

He could feel the room's impatience so instead of trying to quickly explain he let her see his memories of the past day and the current situation.

 _I see… the Vongola does get you involved in the most interesting situations. So you want me to tell those two to welcome your guest?_

 _Please._

He felt her amusement even as his consciousness was pulled on. He followed willingly, giving control of his body to her.

 _I would like to meet your_ friend _anyway._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chrome watched Kenna practically vibrate with irritation from behind her male counterpart's still body. She glared as if mentally urging him to hurry up. She shifted her gaze to Chika. The dark-haired girl was watching too but seemed content to wait.

She silently took in the differences between her friends and the copies in front of her. It was unusual to see breast and curves over the images of Ken and Chikusa. And to be a stranger among the two of the few people she trusts. She suddenly had a deep heart-wrenching longing to be back at home, to be able to speak to Mukuro-sama when she wanted.

Kenna looked ready to kill when a mist rose up at Monochrome's feet and slowly covered him until all that was visible was his silhouette. She stepped back as she heard a dark well-known laugh that echoed through the entire building. Chrome tried to pushed down the surge of hope as the overpowering presence took Monochrome's place.

The mist faded away to reveal a girl with a similar tuft of hair, the Kokuyo uniform except she wore pants, who had her back to her.

"Really, you two. Of course, Chrome can bring his new friends over. We can always get rid of them if they were to cause trouble." Her voice was honeyed poison, promising an unpleasant end to anyone who crossed her. She glance back at Chrome whom had inched forward to get a closer look at her but couldn't muster up the courage to draw attention to herself. She froze when she met mismatched eyes.

Chrome held perfectly still while Mukuro inspected her. Her face was blank and her stare unwavering. After what felt like an eternity, she gave a small smirk.

"Monochrome didn't tell me you were so cute."

"Huh?" Dimly, in her surprise, she could hear Kenna choke on her own spit.

"Cute," she stated bluntly. Her hand reached to tilt her head up. "Chrome, was it? Just Chrome?" She nodded numbly to her question. "And quiet. Nice to meet you, Chrome."

"You're pretty," she blurted out before she could stop herself. Mukuro was attractive as a man but stunning as a woman. She wasn't prepared for that and hoped that her thoughtless comment was unheard. By the pleased smile on the taller illusionist's face, she did.

"Smart, too." she finally let go and watched the pink blush spread across her cheeks. "It would be a shame to simply leave… how about we spend some time together?"

"What?!" Kenna protested. Mukuro spun around to address the blonde.

" _Yes."_ Chrome couldn't see her face but it made Kenna pale and clam up instantly. She turned back and grabbed her hand. She had never cared if she refused. Not that Chrome was going to. Even though it wasn't her Mukuro-sama, it was always a wish to meet her other half face to face. She wouldn't miss this chance.

"Shouldn't you spend time with us?" Chika asked. She showed no outward sign that she cared either way, though she did hold on to the string of her beanie. Kenna didn't risk speaking up again but she did nod furiously in agreement. The illusionist gave an annoyed huff, in a way that said that she hadn't even thought of them.

"I suppose you can come too." she smiled at Chrome again. "Come see my collection."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her 'collection' was an unnaturally large binder that was filled to the brim with many, many sketches and pictures of clothes and full outfits. Most predominantly uniforms. One thing that her and this Mukuro had in common was a love of uniforms. Though her love expanded to all clothes.

"Not all clothes," she said in response to Chrome's murmured comparison, "only the stylish ones." She motioned for her to stand still and flipped through the binder, careful to keep any loose papers from flying away. "I hadn't finished a couple of these and I would like to ask your help with that." she chuckled at her worried expression. "Only as a model."

Her mist flames spread over Chrome's body and changed her uniforms into a dress that was tight enough to emphasize her curves.

"What do you think? I like the style but can't pick a color."

"Black… isn't this type of dress always black?" she suggested. Mukuro pulled a face.

"I don't want it to be like every other black dress," she said as if it was obvious.

"Add sparkles," Kenna supplied helpfully from her spot near the wall. Mukuro raised an eyebrow at her.

"I thought I had made it clear you were not to be heard during these times."

Kenna looked properly cowed under her gaze and Chrome couldn't help to keep the soft pang of sympathy. "I think a small design in sparkles would be fine."

She stared at her a moment as if she was trying to stare into her soul. Then turned away very slowly. She must have been shocked that someone took Kenna's side.

"I'll think about it." she quickly moved on to the next piece.

Chrome acted as her quiet, humble model, only speaking when she was asked a direct question. She couldn't help staring at Mukuro's counterpart. She imagined her with slightly more masculine features and thought: _is this what it would be like to stand face to face with him?_

She was aware that once her Mukuro-sama had his own physical form he wouldn't need her. It was a reality she didn't want to face but was undeniable. It didn't stop her from wanting it to happen with all her heart.

 _Mukuro-sama…_

 _"_ Yes?" the woman in front of her asked at the same time as the voice in her head. She was so startled by the realization that she had spoken aloud and had called out to her partner that she wasn't sure what response was real or simply imagined. Did she want to hear him so much that she had fooled herself into thinking he was there?

 _Nagi, what's wrong?_

No, she hadn't. But how, wasn't Mukuro-sama back in their world? She hadn't felt the connection between them completely disappear like it had in the future, though it had been stretched thin; she hadn't thought they would be able to communicate.

 _Nagi?_

"Chrome?"

Both were waiting for an answer but she couldn't address both. One would still be worried by her lack of response.

Her Mukuro had taken her indecision as a negative sign. She felt the familiar tug on her consciousness and numbness in her limbs as the indigo mist covered her vision. _Mukuro-sama._..

AN: Happy Birthday Tsuna (and Tsuki)!


End file.
